When King Charles addressed Parliament on 13th May and referenced the proposed Police Reform Bill, much of the national conversation naturally focused on the future structure of policing in England and Wales.But away from the headlines, something equally important is already happening.Collaboration between police forces across the UK has never been stronger.And nowhere was that more visible than at this year’s NiCE Evidencentral National User Group (NUG), held on the 13th and 14th of May at Drayton Manor Resort in Staffordshire.Known simply across the policing community as “the NUG”, the annual gathering has evolved into far more than a user meeting. It has become a working community where forces share operational experiences, solve common challenges, and shape the future of digital evidence management together.This year’s event, chaired once again by Assistant Chief Constable Jason Devonport of Lancashire Police, brought together more than 50 representatives from police forces across England and Wales, alongside the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).Across the two-day agenda, forces including Leicestershire Police, North Wales Police, Northamptonshire Police, South Wales Police and Thames Valley Police shared practical insight into how they are using Digital Evidence Management Systems (DEMS), collaborating through NUG sub-groups, and improving operational outcomes through shared learning.Importantly, collaboration across the NUG community extends well beyond the annual event itself, with sub-groups continuing discussions throughout the year on topics ranging from CCTV and storage to reporting, disclosure, and emerging AI capabilities.What stood out most this year was not simply the technology itself, but how far policing has come in tackling challenges that once consumed enormous amounts of time and resources.In the earlier years of the NUG, conversations frequently centered around the practical difficulties of CCTV: requesting footage, receiving it in incompatible formats, reviewing it, and making it accessible across investigations.Today, many of those barriers have been dramatically reduced.Still, the volume of digital evidence being generated across policing continues to grow rapidly, making accessibility, review, and secure sharing increasingly critical operational challenges for forces across the UK.During the event, John Rennie, General Manager for NiCE Public Safety & Justice, demonstrated how AI-driven innovation is helping accelerate one of the industry’s longstanding operational challenges: making vast numbers of video formats instantly accessible for playback and investigations.The discussions at this year’s NUG also reflected a broader shift happening across policing, as forces increasingly explore how AI and digital evidence technologies can help reduce operational friction and improve investigative efficiency.The pace of innovation around video redaction also drew significant interest from attendees. Simon Randall, CEO and Co-Founder of Pimloc, demonstrated how its AI-powered Secure Redact technology integrates with NiCE Evidencentral to help forces prepare footage for sharing more quickly, securely, and efficiently.These advances matter because they remove friction from the investigative process and allow officers and staff to spend less time wrestling with technology and more time focused on operational policing.But beyond the innovation, the strongest theme running throughout the event was the human element. One of the most valuable aspects of hosting the NUG over two days is the opportunity it creates for officers, investigators, digital evidence specialists, and project teams from different forces to spend time together outside formal presentations.Conversations that begin around operational challenges often evolve into ongoing collaboration long after the event ends.That spirit of cooperation has become one of the defining characteristics of the NUG community. Peers become collaborators. Collaborators become trusted colleagues. And shared challenges increasingly become shared solutions.In many ways, that collaborative culture reflects something broader that’s happening across UK policing right now. While discussions around reform often focus on organisational structures, the reality on the ground is that forces are already working together more closely than ever — sharing expertise, technology, and operational insight in ways that deliver tangible outcomes. The NUG continues to play an important role in supporting that progress.On behalf of the entire NiCE Public Safety & Justice team, thank you to everyone who contributed to making this the largest UK NUG event to date. Plans are already underway for next year, and we look forward to continuing the conversations, partnerships, and innovation that make this community so valuable.Interested in learning more about the NiCE Evidencentral User Group (NUG)? Contact the NiCE team at PSInfo@NiCE.com.
