The January Policing White Paper is unusually candid in its assessment of policing’s digital landscape. Its chapter on data and technology boldly states that current infrastructure is “fragmented, with ageing systems, manual processes and poor data quality.” It also acknowledges that when forces use different systems, standards and processes, national coordination inevitably suffers, driving up cost, slowing improvement and duplicating effort across 43 organisations. (HM Government, 2026: para. 283).
One solution to this fractured landscape lies within organisational structures. The White Paper proposes a single decision‑maker for national policing datasets, clearer accountability for data sharing, and – crucially – mandated national quality standards for police data. The goal is “greater consistency in the recording, sharing and analysis of data,” enabling successful local initiatives to scale nationally rather than being rebuilt dozens of times. (HM Government, 2026: para. 285).
From an Organisational Learning and Lessons Management perspective this is not a distant policy signal but an astute description of the current reality, where debrief findings, exercise outcomes and NOG validation records are held in separate spreadsheets, shared drives or force‑specific systems. It’s this duplicated effort, which leads inevitably to a reduction in data quality, that the White Paper identifies as a national problem.
ISARR’s OLLM platform already provides the kind of single, structured environment across multiple agencies that the White Paper calls for. It conveys Lessons data from initial capture through to embedded organisational change, with built‑in internal and external collaboration, two‑way contribution, and audit‑ready filtering.
Northamptonshire’s shared use of the platform across Fire & Rescue, Police and the Local Resilience Forum demonstrates what national consistency could look like in practice: cross‑boundary learning delivered through a single system, rather than 43.
Forces do not need to wait for a mandated national standard to eliminate duplication or improve data quality. The direction of travel is clear, and the tools to act are already available.
Other articles in this series may be accessed below as they are published:
Ending Fragmented Priorities
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References
HM Government (2026) From Local to National: A New Model for Policing, CP 1489. London: Home Office, paras. 283, 285–286.
