Chief Constable Gavin Stephens, who chairs the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) was among those who signed a UK Police Industry Charter, during the annual Home Office invite-only Security and Policing show at Farnborough International exhibition and conference centre. The agreement, free, voluntary and not legally or formally binding, sets out five principles for how industry and policing should work together:
Designing products, services, and systems on the principle of interoperability first.
Adopting a Maximum Transparency by Default (MTBD) position for products and services.
Supporting the professional development of practitioners and senior leaders.
Supporting UK policing in delivering sustainability.
Collaboration and partnership.
Gavin Stephens said: “Technology presents tremendous opportunities for policing, and we owe it to our communities to explore them. Policing must adapt and embrace technology or risk being left behind. New technology will help us tackle a broad range of crime, re-allocate officers and staff to the frontlines, and ultimately give the public a better service.
“But to do this, we must use the right tools effectively, ethically and with support from industry partners. By creating and fostering these mutually beneficial relationships, we are ensuring Forces will have access to the right suppliers, products and technical support, so they can deliver the excellent service the public deserves for generations to come. The Charter sets out clear foundational principles for these collaborative relationships and we look forward to seeing what the future brings.”
Another signatory of the Charter was Police Chief Scientific Adviser, Professor Paul Taylor. He said: “The NPCC science and technology strategy recognises the essential contributions of industry to policing’s mission. For our partnerships to be effective, policing must be clear on what suppliers can expect from us and what we seek in return.
Other signatories include Sir Matthew Rycroft, Home Office Permanent Secretary; Dame Julie Kenny, chair of the UK’s Security and Resilience Industry Suppliers Community; Hampshire Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Donna Jones, as chair of the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners; and Lianne Deeming, CEO of BlueLight Commercial, a company that offers commercial services to police forces. Visit BlueLight Commercial or science.police.uk to view the Charter.
Meanwhile the defence and security trade association ADS reports that in 2023, the UK’s security and resilience sector delivered £12.2 billion in value add to the UK economy, equating to 165 per cent growth over the last ten years. Such exports have increased by 228pc in the period 2013-2023, now a total of £10.5billion.
At 148,000 direct employees, the UK’s security and resilience sector employment has more than doubled in the last ten years (2013 to 2023) growing 105pc, according to the trade association.
Jon Gray, Director for the Security and Resilience sector at ADS, said: “The security and resilience sector, while impacted by a shifting domestic policy agenda, rapid technological change, and emerging international challenges, continues to underpin our national security and economic prosperity. With growth in exports increasing 228% over ten years, a doubling of the UK’s highly capable workforce in this area, and value add of more than £12.2billion, the security and resilience sector delivers UK advantage at home and overseas.
The trade body points to the productivity of the sector that’s reach £82.7k output per worker – increases of 25pc over the last five years.
Aimie Stone, Chief Economist at ADS Group, said: “More than half of jobs in the security and resilience sectors are found outside of London and the South-East, with average earnings of £45.3k almost one third (29pc) higher than the UK average.”
