Press release – Police Digital Service supports digital skills academy for forces
The Police Digital Service (PDS) partnered with Cumbria Constabulary to support the development of the Police Digital Academy, which has provided digital skills training to police officers and staff across the northwest of England.
Such as been the success of the academy, plans are being made to roll it out to forces across the country.
After the successful conclusion of the Cumbria and Durham’s Digital Leadership Programme, PDS began a partnership with Cumbria to support the design and delivery of the Police Digital Academy. From facilitating seamless session deliveries, set up and attendance management through to using the Knowledge Hub to create a collaborative platform where the workshop resources are readily available for officers and staff.
Ian Bell, CEO at PDS said: “Technology is constantly evolving, bringing new ways of working, new threats and opportunities. That’s why we supported the Police Digital Academy, to stay ahead of these changes, safeguard the public, and make the most of technology’s benefits in policing. PDS works in partnership with policing, government, and the private sector, to ensure that digital capabilities are created and developed to help the police to prevent and detect crime. Our purpose is to free up police time, reduce costs, and help forces to keep the public safe in the real and virtual world.”
Assistant Chief Constable Jonathan Blackwell, of Cumbria Constabulary, is the NPCC Digital Policing Lead and founder of the Police Digital Academy.
He said: “The purpose of the Police Digital Academy is clear and is more important than ever. Technology continually develops at pace, which means the threats and opportunities that changing technology provides are also developing rapidly. No longer can digital investigation be viewed as a specialist area alone. Police officers are attending incidents each day which have digital elements connected to them, therefore we must mainstream digital investigation skills across our frontline.
“I am extremely proud of the work conducted by all involved in the creation of the Police Digital Academy and the training we have delivered to more than a thousand officers across the northwest of the country. I am grateful for the ongoing support that PDS are providing the Academy and I look forward to working with them as we embark on our plans to roll this out to police forces across the UK. By empowering officers and staff with the digital skills to effectively conduct their role, we will improve investigative quality and secure justice for more victims of crime.”
Further details about the Police Digital Academy are available here.
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