Blog: Modernising policing without disruption

Technology modernisation has become a constant drumbeat across the public sector - and for good reason. The opportunities offered by modern, integrated systems are clear: better data access, streamlined processes, and more responsive public services.

But for many policing and public sector leaders, that drumbeat comes with a caveat: What happens to frontline delivery while all this change is going on?

And that’s a fair question. In high-pressure environments like policing, where service continuity and public trust are non-negotiable, leaders must be cautious about anything that could compromise operational stability. The result is often a difficult balancing act: recognising the need to evolve legacy systems while fearing the disruption that change might bring.

In this article, I want to challenge the assumption that transformation has to be dramatic or dangerous. Modernisation doesn’t have to mean tearing everything out and starting again. With the right mindset, tools, and partners, it’s entirely possible to incrementally improve your digital capability while improving outcomes without ever putting your frontline services at risk.

“Modernisation doesn’t have to mean tearing everything out and starting again. With the right mindset, tools, and partners, it’s entirely possible to incrementally improve your digital capability while improving outcomes without ever putting your frontline services at risk.”

Why legacy systems still dominate

Let’s start with the reality that many forces and public sector organisations are living with today.

Legacy systems (often decades old, might we add!) still underpin many core operations. They’re familiar, battle-tested, and embedded into daily workflows. But they’re also fragmented, slow, and costly to maintain. Most importantly, they weren’t built for the complexity or pace of today’s public service environment. These systems typically:

• Don’t integrate easily with other platforms
• Require significant manual input and duplication
• Lock away valuable data that could support better decisions
• Can’t adapt quickly to new policy or operational demands.

Despite these limitations, they persist, often because of perceived risks associated with replacing them. Leaders worry that “big bang” transformation projects will disrupt the workforce, confuse users, or introduce new risks before old ones are resolved.

That fear is understandable;  I’ve felt it myself. But clinging to outdated systems carries its own risks, many of them hidden, but increasingly damaging.

The hidden cost of standing still

In policing, especially, the cost of doing nothing can be profound:

• Time is lost as staff navigate multiple disconnected systems
• Data goes unused because it can’t be accessed, trusted or understood
• Morale suffers as officers and staff feel burdened by inefficient tools
• Innovation stalls because outdated systems block integration with new ones.

Perhaps most worryingly, public confidence erodes when services feel slow, disjointed or unresponsive, not because of the people delivering them, but because the systems behind them no longer support what’s needed.

The good news? There’s a way to move forward that avoids the pitfalls of wholesale replacement and delivers measurable benefits, fast.

Start small, build smart

We work with clients to modernise around their legacy systems, not necessarily despite them. That means identifying high-impact pain points, solving real operational problems, and layering modern platforms like Salesforce on top of or alongside existing infrastructure.

The result is a form of transformation that’s:

• Incremental – Small changes with significant results.
• Low-risk – New tools can be tested and iterated safely.
• Integrated – Legacy data and systems aren’t lost, they’re leveraged.

This approach is especially well-suited to policing, where stability is critical and trust must be continually earned. In collaboration with Humberside Police, we transformed the experience for crime victims by introducing automated case updates that keep them informed. This not only reduced pressure on contact centres but also brought greater clarity and reassurance to the people most affected. Importantly, these improvements were delivered without disrupting existing systems, using Salesforce technology to enhance what was already in place.

These changes don’t disrupt frontline services. In many cases, they free up time and attention for those services to improve.

The role of modern platforms

Platforms like Salesforce offer the flexibility and power needed to modernise at pace, without uprooting everything. Because they’re cloud-based, secure, and low-code, they allow for:

• Rapid development and prototyping
• Scalable solutions that grow with the organisation
• Easy integration with existing systems via APIs, and
• Better data visibility and analytics from day one.

But the real value comes when these tools are deployed in partnership with people who understand your environment (I delve into this more in a previous article ‘Trust first, technology second: The secret to digital success in policing’ for anyone interested). The type of people who can navigate the complexity of legacy systems, internal politics, and operational priorities.

Lessons from the frontline

During my time leading the digital strategy at North West Regional Organised Crime Unit (NWROCU), we faced exactly this challenge. We needed to modernise without pausing operations. We introduced Salesforce-based solutions to streamline and connect investigative processes, while using Tableau to unlock actionable insights from our data.

We didn’t “rip and replace”. We added capability where it counted. And we built credibility with users by delivering quick wins that made their jobs easier, not harder.

What I learned was this: transformation doesn’t have to start with massive change, it has to start with meaningful change.

Five principles for low-disruption modernisation

For any leader looking to evolve their systems without triggering organisational chaos, I’d offer the following guiding principles:

1. Focus on user pain, not system pain

Start where your frustration is highest; where poor workflows or data gaps are hurting your people and outcomes. Solve those first.

2. Modernise around, not just through, legacy

Don't assume old systems need to disappear overnight. Build around them. Extend them. Create bridges. Over time, opportunities to decommission older technology will become easier, leading to greater long-term efficiencies.

3. Deliver visible value early

Quick wins matter. They create momentum, trust, and appetite for further change. Look for projects that can deliver impact within 60 to 90 days.

4. Design for integration from day one

Don’t create new silos. Use platforms that can link across your tech stack, and partners who know how to make them work together.

5. Build change with your people

Digital transformation is both cultural and technical. Involve users early. Make them co-creators, not just recipients of new tools.

Final reflections

The pressure on public services to modernise is real - but so is the pressure to maintain stability. Thankfully, the two are not in conflict. With the right approach, you can build a roadmap that’s steady, strategic, and smart.

Technology should never feel like a threat to operations. Done well, it becomes a support system—lightening the load, unlocking insights, and helping people do their jobs better.

If you’re a leader weighing the risk of change, I’d encourage you to reframe the question. It’s not “can we afford to modernise without disrupting the frontline?”

It’s “how much longer can we afford not to?”