Police Digital Service defends IT contractor cuts amid concerns over IT project delivery
The Police Digital Service has defended its decision to cut the size of its flexible IT workforce, as sources raise concerns about low staff morale and hampered IT project delivery times
The Police Digital Service (PDS) has dismissed concerns about the quality and pace of its work being hampered by a cost-cutting push to reduce headcount in its flexible IT workforce, while acknowledging its efforts to improve workplace culture remain ongoing.
The Home Office-funded company is responsible for overseeing the development and delivery of the National Police Digital Strategy. Projects in its purview include the setting up of the Microsoft Azure-based National Police Capabilities Environment (NPCE), which launched in August 2025 amid persisting sovereignty concerns about how policing data is processed within the Microsoft cloud.
According to sources in PDS, the organisation is pursuing an “aggressive thinning out” of its IT contractor workforce, which has seen the number flexible workers it relies on cut by around 70%. The sources claim there were previously around 100 or so contractors working for the organisation in this capacity, but – as confirmed to Computer Weekly by PDS – the number of contractors on its books now stands at 30.
“This is already badly affecting project deliveries – and that’s only going to get worse, not better,” said one source, as another contracting source said PDS is heavily reliant on flexible workers for technical and specialist work.
“The bulk of technology and security specialism is provided to organisations such as PDS – not by the organisations themselves, because the simple truth is they don’t have the money to attract and retain talent [with such specialised skills] in a competitive marketplace.”
Another source, with a close working knowledge of PDS, said having a flexible workforce of contractors also benefits the organisation as it means it can scale up and down the staffing resources it needs with greater ease based on project requirements.
“Depending on what programs PDS is working on and what stage they’re at, it makes sense to use contractors. If the project is in the discovery phase, you’ll only need a couple, but if [a project] is rolling out across policing, you will need a lot more,” the source said.
In recent weeks, Computer Weekly has received anecdotal accounts from contractors working at PDS who claim the organisation is trimming their numbers down by offering “non-viable” working terms when their contracts come up for renewal.
As examples, Computer Weekly was told some contractors are being offered reduced hours, while others are only being offered contracts that expire before the end of the year.
“Some of the contractors left because they were offered very short extensions, and some just don’t like the vibe at PDS and have left,” said one of those affected.
In a statement to Computer Weekly, Greg Hobbs, interim chief people officer at PDS, confirmed the company has been focusing on “consistent headcount growth” as part of a “stable and consistent move towards a permanent workforce” for cost-reduction purposes over the past 12 months. As proof of this, he said PDS has seen its permanent headcount increase from 278 people to 310 since October 2024.
“Wherever possible, we look to utilise our in-house staff, ensuring value for money and providing a sustainable and consistent level of service for customers. We are also consistently working to reduce our reliance on external resourcing,” Hobbs continued.
“Due to the nature of short-term and government-funded projects, which we are commissioned for, it is sometimes appropriate for us to hire contractors or use fixed- term contracts, either to support our capacity or to draw in specific technical skills to get the right balance and enabling improved quality of deliveries.”
According to Computer Weekly’s sources, the swapping out of contractors for permanent staff is not being done on a like-for-like basis, where skills and experience are concerned, which is why – it is claimed – project delivery is suffering as a result.
“What they are doing is getting rid of experienced, expert contractors and replacing them with novice, less experienced and less expert permanent staff,” said a source with a long history of working as an IT contractor for the likes of PDS.
“It would make sense if they were replacing contractors with similarly qualified, experienced personnel, but those are rare as hen’s teeth because anyone that expert and experienced is most likely a contractor anyway,” they added.
However, in its statement to Computer Weekly, PDS’s Hobbs hit back at the suggestion that reducing the organisation’s reliance on contractors has negatively affected its output.
“Over the past year, PDS delivered a range of products and services on behalf of policing, which was showcased at the NPCC Innovations and Digital Summit [in October],” he said. “We have not seen a drop in productivity or delivery, and we continue to provide a top quality, impactful and high-value service to UK policing.”
Downturn in morale
Another recurring piece of feedback Computer Weekly has received from sources is about low staff morale in PDS, with one describing it as a “really unhappy place to work”.
The organisation itself has been subject to a significant restructure and streamlining of its senior leadership team, which is now almost exclusively staffed by interim hires, over the past year. This reshuffle was prompted by the arrests of two employees in July 2024 for suspected bribery, fraud and misconduct in public office, and the resignation of the organisation’s then CEO Ian Bell shortly after.
In the wake of the arrests, PDS confirmed to Computer Weekly that a “thorough review” of the organisation would follow, which – according to sources in the organisation – resulted in a promise that PDS would undergo a “cultural reset”.
Incidentally, PDS included a paragraph in its 2024 financial report about the ongoing work the organisation is undertaking, focused on “improving the culture and engagement with employees at all levels”. This is described in its 2024 Companies House filing as an “important workstream” contributing to the development of a “culture where our people feel they matter”. This paragraph has also appeared in every PDS financial report filed with Companies House since 2020.
Uncertainty over PDS’s future
The individuals Computer Weekly spoke to for this article said a major source of low morale in PDS is the uncertainty surrounding the organisation’s future, with the Home Office’s upcoming reform of the policing sector looming large on the horizon.
In November 2024, the Home Office said the reforms will include the creation of a National Centre of Policing (NCoP) that will have the provision of national IT capabilities in its purview. As reported by Computer Weekly at the time, this has led to questions about whether PDS will still exist once NCoP is created because it appears the two entities will be duplicating responsibilities.
In June 2025, Diana Johnson, the former minister of state for policing and crime prevention, published a letter that strongly suggested PDS’s work and responsibilities will be taken over by NCoP. It stated that establishing NCoP will require primary legislation to be passed, and preparatory work undertaken to “facilitate a smooth transition of relevant capabilities” into this new organisation, while “maintaining effective service delivery” and ensuring minimal disruption to staff.
“Examples of such functions [that require transition] include the commercial work currently being delivered by BlueLight Commercial Limited, and the IT functions currently delivered by the Police Digital Service,” Johnson’s letter confirmed.
Further detail on NCoP is expected to emerge in the coming months, with the publication of the Police Reform whitepaper (due by the end of 2025) and the emergence of the National Policing Information Technology Reform Strategy and Roadmap, due sometime next year.
In a statement to Computer Weekly, PDS interim chief people officer Hobbs said the organisation is aware that employees might be “experiencing uncertainty” ahead of the contents of the forthcoming policing reform whitepaper being made public.
However, these feelings are “not unique to PDS” and are “being felt across the sector”, he continued, before going on to acknowledge that the organisation’s work on improving employee engagement and its culture remains ongoing.
“We recognise that there is more to do, but that is because culture change is never finished. We’ve worked hard to bring stability to the organisation and have made it a priority to keep staff informed and involved throughout ongoing changes,” he said.
“PDS continues to evolve and feedback from our colleagues helps us to refine our approach. Our ongoing internal surveys show that our people are engaged, which was also demonstrated by the recent success of the NPCC Innovation and Digital Summit. We remain committed to supporting our people and fostering a workplace culture that reflects our values and ambition.”
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