Policing in England and Wales holds a significant volume of data and relies on it every day to inform decisions, prioritise resources and protect the public. Turning that into usable insight, at pace, remains challenging. The National Data Integration and Exploitation Service (NDIES) has been developed as a national technical and advisory service, as part of the National Data and Analytics Office (NDAO) to help bridge that gap, making it easier to connect data, access it more efficiently, and use it to inform day-to-day decisions.

Across 43 forces, systems have evolved independently over time, resulting in differences in formats, platforms and practices. NDIES sits within the wider work of the National Data and Analytics Office, which is driving a more consistent national approach to data, analytics and emerging technology. The programme is sponsored by the NPCC and commissioned by the Home Office Police Efficiency and Collaboration Programme.

The programme is led by two joint heads, Dr Phil Davies a Chief Superintendent from Greater Manchester Police with extensive operational and national data leadership experience; and Luke Tedbury, who brings a systems engineering background and experience delivering major technology programmes across government.

“For years, policing has been data rich but insight poor. We’ve had huge volumes of information, but fragmented systems and inconsistent standards have made it difficult to turn that into something usable at pace.” 

Dr Phil Davies, Police Lead, NDIES

For officers and police staff, this can create a more fragmented experience than intended. Building a complete picture may involve consulting multiple systems, including local records management systems (RMS), which hold incident reports, custody records and intelligence, alongside national intelligence platforms such as the Police National Database (PND) and the Law Enforcement Data Service (LEDS). In many cases, this also sits alongside digital evidence held in specialist tools, such as mobile phone data extracted through digital forensics platforms and data captured from other agencies.

This can have a practical impact on operational work. Investigations may take longer to progress, and safeguarding decisions are sometimes made without a fully joined-up view of available information. The Bichard Inquiry found that intelligence on Ian Huntley was held by one force but not accessible to another, allowing him to pass vetting checks with devastating consequences. The Angiolini Inquiry identified that prior allegations and concerns about Wayne Couzens were not effectively shared between the forces he had served with, representing a significant missed opportunity to assess risk. The Casey Review similarly highlighted failures to share and connect complaints and misconduct data, meaning patterns of concerning behaviour were not identified or acted upon. Together, these cases demonstrate how failures in data sharing can limit the ability to assess risk, identify warning signs, and ultimately prevent harm.

Improving how data is accessed and connected is therefore a crucial step towards supporting faster, more informed decision-making across policing, to better protect the public.

The role of NDIES

NDIES has been established to improve how existing data is used across policing. It focuses on linking systems that we already have, improving access to data across local and national sources, to provide joined up operational insight, while allowing forces to retain control over their own information. By creating consistent connections between systems from the outset, NDIES can help reduce the need for forces to retrospectively integrate legacy technology as policing reforms and new capabilities are introduced..

“This isn’t about centralising data or building a single national database. It’s about connecting what already exists, so forces can access the information they need, when they need it, without navigating multiple systems.”

Luke Tedbury, Technical Lead, NDIES

At its core, the service will bring together data from local, regional and national sources, making it easier to access and use information that would otherwise sit in separate systems. Alongside this, NDIES provides a national advisory service, giving forces access to guidance on data strategy, procurement, governance, data protection and tooling. This includes helping forces avoid vendor lock-in, reduce reliance on individual suppliers and make procurement decisions that offer greater flexibility and value over the long term.

NDIES is being developed iteratively, in policing, for policing, with initial testing planned with a small number of volunteer forces. Early work is focused on accessing data from across national, regional and local force systems, with access options being driven by policing needs.

Specific use cases are also being explored, such as linking digital forensics data with local records management systems to surface connections more quickly during investigations.

Results 

NDIES is at an early stage of delivery. By the end of the year, the programme expects to begin delivering several benefits for some users and participating forces.

• Access to shared tools: Participating forces will be able to use nationally provided analytical tools without running separate procurements
• Less duplication: National guidance and standards will help reduce repeated work across forces
• Faster data access: Initial integrations are expected to reduce the need to check multiple systems manually
• Clearer support route: The advisory service will provide a single point of contact for data related queries

These changes are incremental, but they address practical issues that affect daily work.

In practice

The impact of NDIES becomes clearer when considered in operational contexts.

In safeguarding, for example, individuals may move between force areas, making it difficult to build a complete picture quickly. This has been highlighted in a recent safeguarding review, where agencies working across multiple areas failed to share information effectively, operating in silos and missing opportunities to intervene and protect vulnerable individuals. Improved connectivity makes it easier to access relevant information, helping officers make more timely and informed decisions.

In investigations, linking datasets can reveal connections that might not be visible when systems are used in isolation. For example, contact data extracted from a suspect’s device can be cross‑referenced with local records such as incident reports, custody records and intelligence logs within a records management system (RMS). This helps officers identify known associates, link individuals to previous incidents, and develop a more complete understanding of networks or patterns of behaviour.

In neighbourhood policing, access to information from other agencies can provide a richer understanding of local problems. This can help officers identify vulnerable people, understand patterns of repeat demand, spot emerging issues and respond more effectively.

Across all three situations, the shift is relatively simple but significant: less time spent locating information, and more time acting on it.

Governance, ethics and trust

The use of data in policing relies on strong governance and oversight. NDIES operates within a framework that includes the National Data and Analytics Office, the Home Office and the National Police Chiefs’ Council. Good data is fundamental to functioning exploitation systems, including AI that we can rely on. The work of NDIES aligns closely with the wider national work of Police AI to ensure that data sources underpin the safe and effective use of advanced analytics.

This commitment to quality and consistency also extends to national reporting, with NDIES supporting the standardisation of response policing data through the Annual Data Return pathfinder to help improve consistency and confidence in how policing data is reported across forces.

Alongside this, work is underway to introduce an independent ethics function, providing additional scrutiny and helping to build confidence in how data is handled.

Implementation and learning

Delivering a national service across policing comes with challenges. One is balancing the need to deliver early value with the longer-term goal of creating something that can scale and sustain effectively.

Another is the variation between forces - in systems, capability and priorities. Any approach needs to be flexible enough to work across these different environments.

NDIES is addressing this by starting with pathfinder forces, allowing the team to test and refine its approach based on real use cases. This, in turn, informs the development of the advisory service, ensuring guidance is grounded in practice rather than theory.

What’s next

The next phase will focus on expanding system connections and increasing the number of forces involved. The advisory service will also continue to develop, with a growing emphasis on identifying and sharing approaches that are already working well across policing. Over time, the aim is to create a more consistent environment for accessing data, while still maintaining the flexibility that forces need at a local level.

“Data isn’t a niche capability in policing anymore. It sits at the heart of how decisions are made and how we keep people safe.”

Dr Phil Davies, Police Lead, NDIES

This sits within a wider programme of policing reform, where changes to structures and operating models will place increasing importance on how data is accessed, shared and used across boundaries. NDIES will play an important role in supporting this transition, helping to ensure that data can move more consistently and effectively across the system as it evolves.

NDIES begins to address a longstanding challenge in policing: making better use of data that is already available but not always easily connected.

“If we get this right, police officers and staff won’t need to think about where data sits or how to access it. They’ll be able to focus on insight, on decisions, and ultimately on keeping people safe.”

Luke Tedbury, Technical Lead, NDIES

By improving access, reducing duplication and providing practical support, the service is enabling officers and staff to build clearer intelligence pictures and make faster, better-informed decisions.

As it develops, NDIES will create a more connected and consistent data environment across policing - one that supports operational effectiveness while maintaining local ownership and accountability.