The Police Digital Service (PDS) and IT industry association techUK have announced a strategic partnership agreement.
It has been put in place to increase industry awareness of the remit and objectives of the two organisations among the policing and supplier communities, and to support a more transparent and accessible market for technology in policing.
techUK said it is aimed at producing more strategically aligned, collaborative, relational and sustainable commercial arrangements between the police and the IT industry, in which they develop requirements and solutions together.
The announcement was made late last week, on the day that the PDS was formally launched in an evolution from its predecessor, the Police ICT Company. In an interview with UKAuthority, its CEO Ian Bell said the move came from the need for an organisation to help police forces deliver the National Policing Strategy.
Commenting on the partnership with techUK, Bell said it “enables an exciting synergy”.
Allan Fairley, chair of techUK’s justice and emergency services committee, said: "The Police Digital Service is constantly working to strengthen relationships between policing and the private sector to empower the sharing of public safety responsibilities, and to support a more transparent and accessible market for technology in policing. Our agreement with techUK will help us achieve this.
“Our organisations have worked closely together before, but this agreement means a more united and streamlined approach to our efforts to deliver the National Policing Digital Strategy, in particular empowering UK policing with the technology it needs to stay ahead of crime and better protect the communities it serves."
Image from iStock,Bridget McGill
