A word from the NSIB Chair: Assistant Chief Constable, Ben Snuggs

I am delighted to be able to talk about the National Science and Innovation Board (NSIB) which plays a key role at the heart of our police science, technology and innovation system. As the Deputy Chief Constable for Thames Valley Police, I know first-hand how policing needs to continue to innovate to remain relevant, and not become redundant, for the communities we serve.

NSIB presents an exciting opportunity to coordinate the great work already happening in forces. More effective coordination, support and awareness right across policing will help us reduce duplicated effort and make the most of the funding we have to make a difference. Through NSIB we have the best of opportunities to collaborate with talented colleagues in policing, other agencies and government to accelerate our
science and innovation work and I am honoured to be its chair.

The way I think of NSIB is as the delivery board under the new NPCC Science and Innovation Coordination Committee (NSICC). NSICC sets our strategic direction, together with the NPCC, chief constables, the College of Policing, other agencies and government. Whilst the NSIB coordinates our efforts helping to test and evaluate new approaches for the benefit of policing . NSIB also oversees spending on innovation and the Police STAR bid process which has provided successive years of support for innovation.

One of the most important NSIB functions is the coordination point for our Research Innovation Lead Network (RIL): a fabulous network of key people who represent our NPCC policing regions and ROCUs. This is where the bottom-up insight from forces plays a key part in NSIB’s ability to focus on what’s working elsewhere and reduce duplicated effort. Our Research Innovation Lead (RIL) network is fundamental to this
work, and I would encourage you to connect with your force innovation lead.

Over the next six months, we will gain an even clearer understanding of the innovation landscape and prioritise initiatives that will benefit policing and the communities we serve. This is a truly exciting time for embedding science and innovation into our daily operations, paving the way to a more effective and forward-thinking service.