Manchester – September 16, 2026 -- Mark43 convened more than 100 senior leaders from UK policing, government and the technology sector at its annual 2026 DDaT Forum in Manchester to address digital reform, legacy infrastructure and responsible AI adoption.
Forum targets interoperability gaps and legacy system modernization
Discussions at the event centered on four priorities: modernising legacy infrastructure, improving interoperability and data access, adopting AI responsibly, and scaling local innovation into national reform. Matt Polega, President, Cofounder and Managing Director of the UK at Mark43, said technology should reduce administrative burden and connect information for officers, adding that no single force should have to solve these challenges alone.
NPCC and Accenture executives call for connecting local policing innovations
Chris Todd, Chief Constable of Humberside Police and NPCC Lead for Data Integration, said the opportunity now is to connect local successes and improve how data moves across policing to create conditions for innovation to scale. James Slessor, Managing Director UK and Global Public Safety Lead at Accenture, said the scale of change underway requires rethinking how people, processes and technology interact.
PwC and Police Foundation flag governance and AI safeguards as key hurdles
Andy Newsham, Safety & Security Subject Matter Expert at PwC, said forces are navigating operating models, investment and governance questions that must be connected for reform to deliver tangible results. Blair Gibbs, Director of the Police Foundation, said conversations on AI in policing are shifting toward rigor on safeguards and maintaining workforce and public confidence.
Greater Manchester officials cite forum as evidence of regional tech investment
Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester Kate Green said the region has long driven collaboration between policing, government and technology. Joe Manning, Managing Director of Invest Manchester, said Mark43's continued investment and growth in the city-region reflects its strength as a collaboration hub for public services.
The forum drew attendees from police forces, government bodies, research and advisory organisations, and technology companies. Mark43's cloud-native platform, spanning Records Management, Command & Control and Data Analytics, is used by more than 300 agencies across the UK and U.S.