Ireland deploys resilient emergency comms network

The Irish Government has introduced a mission-critical platform, developed with Vodafone and the OGCIO, to keep police, fire, ambulance, and civil defence connected during crises. Built as a “last resort” system, it ensures communication even in remote areas or when power and networks fail.

The Vendor-Lock-In Dilemma

Law enforcement agencies are increasingly dependent on complex digital infrastructures. From mobile communications to evidence storage, the systems supporting daily operations are now critical to modern policing. Yet many of these solutions are delivered as bundled, proprietary ecosystems by a…

It’s Fake, Until It Isn’t

One of the oldest principles in policing is that what is seen and heard (photos, video, audio) can serve as reliable evidence. That assumption is now under sustained pressure. The threat does not come from criminals with new tricks, but…

On Smartphones

The smartphone is, without question, the logical cornerstone of the modern digital workspace for front-line law enforcement. It’s the one device every officer has, the tool no officer leaves behind when the going might get tough. While laptops and tablets…

AI in Predictive Policing Is Not the Problem

Some critics are calling for predictive policing to be shut down. They argue that it’s unscientific, unethical, and inherently biased. They warn that artificial intelligence will only make things worse : automating injustice, amplifying racial profiling, and further eroding public…

Rise of the Mechanical Witness

Body-worn cameras (BWCs) are now seen by many as the gold standard of accountability in policing. The small lens clipped to an officer’s chest promises to provide an impartial record of events. Yet as courts in both the United States…

Should PESCO Fund Policing Projects?

Across Europe, defence cooperation is deepening. The EU’s Permanent Structured Cooperation programme, or PESCO, now supports a growing list of joint military projects. These range from shared cyber defence tools to next-generation surveillance platforms. But some Member States are beginning…

Strategic Leadership Means Mastering Disruption

There was a time when leadership in policing meant rank, experience, and procedural command. Today, these are no longer sufficient. In an era shaped by artificial intelligence, real-time surveillance, autonomous systems, and algorithmic governance, a defining skill for police leaders…

Ruggedised devices

Ruggedised phones are hard to miss. Their bulk can make them impractical for undercover work or low-profile community patrols. Officers know this. That’s why many still rely on their personal phones, which are always at hand, more discreet, and often…

Bullets and Brains

Let’s face it: the bullet, as a regrettable last resort in policing, is unlikely to disappear entirely. However, reducing the need for lethal force does not begin with new weapons, less lethal or otherwise, important as they may be. It…