Last week, I attended the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) Innovation and Digital Summit 2025— in the exhibitor space common to all such gatherings was much talk of transformation, efficiency, and the promise of technology to make policing and public services smarter. The atmosphere was optimistic, with plenty of stalls offering the next big thing in “data-driven insight” or “digital collaboration.” However, as I moved from conversation to conversation, a troubling patt

Step into any classroom in England today and you will find, alongside the noise of pencils and chatter, the quiet weight of children...

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