A Companies House filing, dated 16 July 2024, confirms Bell’s position as company director was terminated on 11 July, but no further details surrounding his departure are shared in the document.

For those who are not familiar with it, PDS is responsible for overseeing the development and delivery of the UK’s National Police Digital Strategy.

The company refuses to say anything about Bell’s situation: "It would be inappropriate to comment further given the current criminal and HR investigation is ongoing.”

The Home Office, which funds the work the PDS does, told Computer Weekly in a statement that it is “aware of serious allegations relating to the conduct of two individuals” within PDS and that it is “supportive” of the steps being taken by the organisation, and that it expects a thorough review of how it operates will follow.

“Work is underway to ensure frontline services are not negatively impacted and that public funds are protected,” it continued.

When news of the arrests at PDS broke on 3 July, PDS said the organisation would be subjecting the suspects to an employee misconduct review, along with a “thorough review” of how PDS operates.

The City of London Police, which is conducting the investigation, confirmed suspects remain bailed pending further inquiries.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) along with the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC), received reports of alleged malpractice concerning individuals working for the PDS earlier this year.

These allegations were passed on to the City of Police for review, which subsequently led to them launching a criminal investigation and making arrests.

At the time of the arrests, PDS said the “company’s work remains unaffected” by the situation, but Computer Weekly earlier this week raised concerns that this might not be the case following an announcement that the company had postponed its flagship supplier summit.

The Police Digital Summit 2024 was initially planned to run from 11–13 September 2024, but a statement on the PDS website confirmed it will be rescheduled to take place at a “future date” in 2025.

“We have decided to postpone this event with the full agreement of the PDS Board, comprising key representatives from across policing and partner agencies,” the PDS said in a statement.

PDS board members include representatives from the Home Office, members of the NPCC’s Digital, Data and Technology Co-ordination Committee, various UK Police and Crime Commissioners, and the British Transport Police.

“We understand that the summit is a key platform for engagement with the policing and supplier communities, and it furthers the understanding and take-up of digital solutions for UK policing,” the PDS statement added.

“We also recognise the impact that the event’s cancellation will have for many of the PDS’s supplier and partner communities and acknowledge this may affect your planned marketing and engagement activities.”

a PDS representative said the date is being pushed back at the request of the PDS board, which wants the organisation’s leadership team to “focus on [its] core business priorities.”

“[These] are delivering for policing, ensuring that victims, officers and staff have the digital, data and technology solutions they need,” it said. “We are actively planning a future date and location for a digital summit in 2025.”

independent security consultant Owen Sayers told Computer Weekly he would not be surprised if Labour embarks on a total reform of how PDS works and what it does.

“Creating the right delivery organisation for police IT services is notoriously difficult, and the average lifetime of such an organisation is typically seven to eight years,” he said.

“In this respect, PDS was already close to the point when we would expect some core reformation, and their own [press communications] suggests this might now occur, although these particular circumstances are highly unusual and less than optimal.”

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PDS was incorporated in June 2012, and is classified as a private company with no shareholders that is funded by the Home Office and the policing sector.

“A Labour administration might struggle to justify or endorse a profit-making enterprise sitting at the heart of government, creating and applying its own policies for police IT, and marking its own homework,” said Sayers.

“I would not be at all surprised therefore if the new administration sought to reform PDS, and this would provide an excellent opportunity to address other core issues relating to data controllers and supplier contracts in policing,” he added.

As an example of this, Sayers pointed to the work he has been doing, largely through the submission of Freedom of Information requests, to draw attention to the fact that the way policing bodies procure and use cloud technologies is out of alignment with sector-specific data protection laws.

“A new model for policing IT governance should therefore be a priority for the new government, but to meet the flexible needs of policing, it should be arranged on a servant leadership model rather than a centralised power to direct forces, as PDS, with the Home Office’s backing, have enjoyed,” he said.

“It is this level of influence and direction which has led to evidenced widespread illegal data-processing,” said Sayers. “And that cannot be an acceptable future position for our police forces to be in.”