The Police Digital Provider (PDS), a Dwelling Office-funded non-public company tasked with overseeing the trend and transport of the National Police Digital Approach, has had an eventful few months.
The organisation made headlines in July 2024, after Computer Weekly broke the tips that two PDS staff had been arrested on suspicion of fraud, bribery and misconduct in public put of business by City of London Police.
At the time of writing, the prison investigation stays ongoing, with a representative for the City of London Police confirming the suspects had been interviewed and released on bail.
It’s miles furthermore known every contributors had been – in the wake of the arrests – suspended from work for the PDS whereas the prison investigation continued.
The PDS released an announcement on the time of the arrests, citing the contributors concerned would possibly possibly possibly possibly possibly be arena to an employee misconduct overview, undertaken by an unbiased HR consultancy, whereas the organisation and its operations would possibly possibly possibly possibly possibly be arena to a “thorough overview” in addition to.
“The corporate’s work stays unaffected,” the statement added.
At some stage in the intervening weeks, a pair of senior staffers uncover exited the PDS. The organisation furthermore announced that its annual flagship dealer match, The Police Digital Summit, which modified into as soon as on account of happen over several days in September 2024, would possibly possibly possibly possibly possibly be postponed till a “future date” in 2025.
This stays a creating tale, but right here is every part we know to this level about what goes on within the PDS and the implications it would possibly possibly possibly in point of fact possibly possibly uncover on the organisation’s future.
What does the Police Digital Provider construct?
The organisation is tasked with overseeing the trend and deployment of the multi-pronged National Policing Digital Approach, which goals to equip the policing sector with the digital instruments main to fight crime and shield the public.
This work has seen the organisation play a pivotal feature in encouraging and enabling police forces across the UK to undertake a cloud-first technique to deploying contemporary tool and IT programs, as fragment of a nationally coordinated migration of policing knowledge and applications to the cloud.
How long has the Police Digital Provider been working?
The PDS started life in 2012 as the Police ICT Firm, but did now not was entirely operational till three years later in 2015. Its name modified to the Police Digital Provider in 2021.
It modified into as soon as at the delivery situation up by the Affiliation of Police Authorities and the Dwelling Office, which – on the side of the wider policing sector – funds its work. It operates as a non-public company with out a shareholders.
Why had been two Police Digital Provider staff arrested in July 2024?
All we know to this level is that allegations of malpractice had been made to the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and the Affiliation of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC) about the behaviour of contributors working for PDS earlier this 365 days.
These allegations had been passed on to the City of London Police for overview, which on account of this truth resulted in the drive launching a prison investigation dubbed Operation Albaston.
Info of Operation Albaston appeared on the UK Police Fundamental Incident Public Reporting Train in early July 2024. The accompanying statement read: “The City of London Police [is] conducting an investigation into alleged prison habits of two folks employed by the Police Digital Provider.”
Info emerged days later that two contributors working for PDS had been suspended from work, after being arrested, interviewed and bailed by the City of London Police for suspected bribery, fraud and misconduct in public put of business.
How has the PDS responded to the tips of the arrests being made public?
The corporate released an announcement confirming the first points of the arrests made by City of London Police, and furthermore talked about the suspects would possibly possibly possibly possibly possibly be arena to an employee misconduct overview, applied by an unbiased HR consultancy. PDS furthermore talked about the organisation itself would possibly possibly possibly possibly possibly be placed under overview too.
Enjoy the suspects been named?
No figuring out facts about the names of those under investigation by City of London Police had been released at this time, and no extra facts about the offences they’re accused of committing had been printed both.
Enjoy there been any staffing changes at PDS since the arrests?
As reported by Computer Weekly on 17 July 2024, within two weeks of the tips of the arrests being made public, PDS CEO Ian Bell stood down and resigned as a director of the company, as confirmed by documents filed with Corporations Dwelling.
In an announcement to Computer Weekly, PDS confirmed Bell’s departure, but talked about it would possibly possibly possibly in point of fact possibly possibly be “wicked to statement extra given the most contemporary prison and HR investigation is ongoing”.
Bell at the delivery joined PDS in 2018, alongside with his appointment being described as a two-365 days secondment. At the time, he modified into as soon as serving as the vice-chair of the National Police Skills Council, and modified into as soon as furthermore programme director for the policing sector’s nationwide enabling IT programmes.
As confirmed by Computer Weekly on 22 August 2024, the UK govt’s susceptible biometrics and surveillance digital camera commissioner, Tony Eastaugh, stepped in as the PDS’s intervening time CEO on 19 August 2024.
In an announcement, he made no reference to the cases that resulted in his appointment on the PDS, and as a change talked about what a “privilege” it modified into as soon as to affix the organisation and again proceed its “main work” to raise digital, knowledge and expertise offerings to the policing sector.
As reported by Computer Weekly on 31 July 2024, one more director – in the invent of ex-Accenture UK policing and justice lead Allan Fairley – resigned about two weeks after Bell did.
Fairley modified into as soon as a non-executive director, serving on the PDS board, who joined the organisation in June 2024. In an announcement to Computer Weekly, PDS talked about Fairley had stepped down on account of the menace of a “perceived warfare of ardour”, but no extra facts had been shared on the time.
PDS is fragment-funded by the Dwelling Office. Has the govt. division talked about one thing about this creating relate?
Computer Weekly at the delivery contacted the Dwelling Office following knowledge of Bell’s departure, and a press representative talked about the division is “responsive to extreme allegations regarding to the habits of two contributors” at PDS, and that it expects an intensive overview of how it operates to practice.
“Work is underway to make optimistic that frontline companies and products must now not negatively impacted and that public funds are protected,” it continued.
“As an organization restricted by inform, all choices regarding to PDS operation, alongside with appointments and dismissals of key roles, are the responsibility of its board, and in the damage its participants.”
