Press release – The Police Digital Service (PDS) facilitates digital innovation
The second in a series of Innovation Today events hosted by the Police Digital Service will take place in January in Merseyside. The event will bring together police forces from across the UK to hear about the latest cutting-edge digital solutions that are transforming policing and making a tangible difference to police officers and victims of crime.
The first Innovation Today event hosted earlier this year, attracted 80 delegates from across 22 forces, and showcased five real-life case studies demonstrating how policing is harnessing technology. This included the following case study from Avon and Somerset Police.
Case Study: Avon and Somerset Police’s Digitisation Project:
For years, UK policing relied on vulnerable video and audio tapes for evidence, leading to inefficiencies and challenges in court. Avon and Somerset Police, in collaboration with EBC Group, pioneered a digital solution. This innovation enables multiple tapes to be converted into secure, easily accessible digital files stored on the Cloud.
Nick Lilley, Director of Information Technology for Avon and Somerset Police, emphasised the impact: “This new capability has made a real difference in our force; preserving the contents of these tapes is vital to achieve the best evidence and ultimately secure justice for victims of crimes. The old way of working was impractical, costly and inefficient.
As advances in forensic science allow us to solve more historic crimes, the preservation of these key resources helps us to reaffirm our commitment to justice, however much time has passed.”
The second Innovation Today event will consist of five diverse presentations led by the forces, who will share their journey to implementation. Supported by suppliers, forces will also share the benefits, the challenges, with a look to how they can continue innovating.
Ian Bell, CEO at PDS, said: “Our Innovation Today events give forces the chance to hear from other policing colleagues about how they are utilising innovative technology to improve policing outcomes in an ever-evolving digital world. By hearing about real-life examples of how technology is being harnessed across forces, policing technologists can learn from the experiences of others and leave the event informed and inspired.”
The next PDS Innovation Today event is being hosted at the Merseyside Police Training Academy on 18 January 2024 . FREE Registration is now open for Police officers and staff. Please note that this is a closed event for police force delegates only.
If you are a police force or a policing technology supplier interested in showcasing how you are harnessing technology to better enable policing, contact the Police Digital Service events team at events@pds.police.uk.
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Notes to editors:
- To register for Innovation Today: Police Digital Service (pds.police.uk)
- If you have any questions about the Innovation Today event, please contact events@pds.police.uk
- To find out more about Avon and Somerset’s Digitalisation Project, please contact: engagement@pds.police.uk
About the Police Digital Service (PDS):
The Police Digital Service (PDS) is the UK organisation responsible for coordinating, developing, delivering, and managing digital services and solutions that enable UK policing to safely harness technology to improve public safety. Funded by policing and the Home Office, PDS works with law enforcement organisations, private industry, charities, public bodies, and government to deliver digital services and solutions with policing, for policing.
Contacts details:
Media enquiries: media@pds.police.uk
