Forum Roundup: Interoperability in Justice and Public Safety Session 1

Last month we were delighted to launch techUK’s new Interoperability in Justice and Public Safety Forum. Previous to 2025, the programme’s focus on Interoperability has been driven by a working group and concerned just policing. Now to accommodate the expansion of the portfolio to criminal justice and emergency services and to welcome in new perspectives, the group has transitioned to a collaborative forum under the leadership of Simon Hall, Coeus Software (Chair) and Robert Leach, R Leach Consulting (Vice-Chair).

For this first meeting we were joined by so many techUK members with different experiences and interests for driving interoperability, including the courts, prisons, the probation services and cloud – to name a few.

To set the scene, the group reflected on the success of the previous working group with a presentation from Dave Tonks, Capita. Amongst this, attendees were given insight to how the previous group were able to publish two reports (which can be found on our Interoperability Hub), through attaining positive stakeholder engagement, building a strong momentum of member enthusiasm, and creating a vibrant market for interoperability platforms.

To conclude the meeting Milan Bollegala, Technical Business Analyst, Police Digital Service, shared his thoughts on the importance of interoperability and the impact of using silo systems. With reference to the Humberside Police, who have removed the need for call handlers to do admin during calls, Milan emphasised the need for good data to influence good decision making as the information inputted is dispatched directly to front line officers. To emulate this success, he advised that the customer has to be intelligent in the procurement process to lead on the requirements and that data needs to be recognised as a national asset rather than local.

In all, attendees showed considerate eagerness to dismantle the obstacles to successful data sharing agreements and to encourage the prioritisation of driving interoperability across the sector.

Justice and Emergency Services Programme activities

The techUK Justice and Emergency Services Programme represents tech firms operating in the public safety, criminal justice, and blue light markets. We create strong relationships between members and public sector customers, encouraging industry engagement, and unlocking innovation. Visit the programme page here.