Policing’s Interoperability Challenge

“Policing doesn’t need more technology for technology’s sake. It needs systems that work together, data that can be trusted and an independent way to assess whether forces are genuinely ready to connect, collaborate and deliver better outcomes for the public.”

Chief Constable Gavin Stephens, NPCC Innovation and Digital Summit 2026 (live speech)

Policing Doesn’t Need More Technology. It Needs Better Connectivity.

AI, automation, advanced analytics and digital forensics are no longer future concepts. They are already active components of modern policing, supporting investigations, surfacing intelligence, and decreasing administrative burden. The real challenge is no longer finding the next technology breakthrough. It is ensuring that existing capabilities work together.

The evidence is increasingly consistent. The National Policing Digital Strategy 2025-2030 identifies poor-quality data, legacy technology, digital skills gaps and a lack of interoperability as major barriers to modern policing. ^[3] Its enabling pillars place connected technology, data and interoperability at the center of future policing capability. The Police Foundation reaches a similar conclusion. Its 2024 report, The Power of Information, found that policing continues to experience challenges including fragmented data-sharing, complex procurement processes, legacy systems and a lack of interoperability, recommending a national approach to interoperability across all 43 forces. ^[7]

The Interoperability Challenge

Interoperability is often viewed as a technical problem. In practice, it is operational, organisational and strategic.

The NHS Architecture Framework delivers a clearer definition: “Interoperability is the ability to safely share and make use of shared information and services, regardless of the systems in use, and who supplied them.” ^[4] This definition matters because frontline officers still spend valuable time moving between disconnected platforms, manually transferring information and compensating for fragmented user experiences. Frontline officers should not be the ones connecting the dots. Systems should allow data to be shared ‘regardless of the services and suppliers they use’ ^[4], and if the underlying systems cannot exchange information, the value of that investment will always be limited.

As discussed throughout the NPCC Innovation and Digital Summit 2026, the objective is not creating a single national police force. It is enabling 43 forces to share information securely, consistently and effectively while maintaining local autonomy. ^[8]

The goal is not uniformity. It is connectivity.

The Procurement Paradox

Paul Daglish [Sales Director at Nine23] conceptualised the procurement challenge as a paradox: “A child goes missing, and an officer has to make a decision really quickly. He needs the answers to these questions: Is there any harm risk? Are there any known associates? Are there any sort of known behaviours, which is there any sort of child safety issues?  That data is somewhere. But it’s not connected” (Daglish, 2026, live speech). ^[9]

The paradox is simple: Policing has invested heavily in technology, data and digital capabilities, yet frontline officers can still struggle to access the information they need when they need it most.

The Police Foundation notes that procurement complexity remains a major obstacle to digital transformation.^[7]Meanwhile, the National Audit Office warns that organisations frequently invest in making legacy systems run faster rather than tackling underlying architectural issues. ^[2] Innovation should not be slowed down. However, every technology investment should be assessed against a simple question:

Does it improve interoperability, or add to fragmentation?

Measuring Interoperability Readiness with PIRI

Perhaps the most important question facing policing today is also one of the simplest: How do we know a force is ready to interoperate?

This challenge led Nine23 to develop the Police Interoperability Readiness Index (PIRI).

PIRI is an independent assessment framework that helps forces establish their interoperability baseline, identify barriers to effective information sharing and understand their readiness to adopt future technologies. Rather than focusing solely on procurement, PIRI evaluates the foundations upon which future capability depends.

It helps forces:

• Understand their current digital estate.
• Identify interoperability gaps and integration risks.
• Highlight duplication and inefficiencies.
• Support better investment decisions.
• Build a prioritised roadmap for improvement.

Because interoperability is not something that can be purchased. It must be understood, measured and continuously improved.

A Call to Action

In summary, from what was said during the summit and across the Police Digital Services’ ‘The Big Picture’ strategy ^[5], the Home Office’s ‘Policing Productivity’ report ^[1], The Police Foundations’ ‘unlocking the power of information’ blog ^[6] and numerous NPCC strategies and reports ^[3], we can conclude that the technology policing needs largely already exists. The challenge requires ensuring systems, data and organisations can work together as a coherent whole. Before investing in the next platform, tool or AI capability, forces should first understand the environment they already have.

PIRI provides that starting point.

If your force is looking to improve interoperability, strengthen data readiness and ensure future technology investments deliver measurable operational value, now is the time to establish your baseline.