Police AI : Acquisitive Crime & Tool Theft Project Manager

Job summary

Applications for this role are restricted to existing officers of a UK police force or UK policing organisation.

A 12‑month secondment for an Inspector, or a Sergeant on temporary promotion.

PoliceAI is a nationally significant technology and transformation programme in UK policing. Backed by central government investment and positioned at the heart of the police reform agenda, PoliceAI is the new National Centre for AI in Policing, helping to shape how policing uses data, technology and artificial intelligence to tackle crime, protect the public and modernise frontline operations.

We bring together operational policing, technical expertise, product delivery, assurance and the responsible use of AI to develop and scale capabilities that improve public safety outcomes. Our work helps forces respond more effectively to demand, strengthen investigations, identify risk and harm earlier, and free up frontline time for the activities that matter most to communities.

This is an opportunity to contribute to a programme with national reach and meaningful public service impact, helping to define how AI is developed, governed and adopted across one of the UK’s most important public services. The work is varied and complex, moves at pace, and has the potential to deliver better tools for policing, better outcomes for the public, and stronger foundations for the responsible use of AI.

​​About the College of Policing:

Our mission is: Leadership, Standards, Performance. This guides our work with individuals, forces, and policing partners towards our vision. We exist to support police officers, police staff and volunteers to deliver the best service to the public. Only through high quality leadership, consistent standards and continual performance improvement can everyone in policing reach their full potential. Our mission guides our work with individual, forces and partners towards our vision.

Additional Information:

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles.

Due to our status as Public Servants, we are not eligible to participate in the Civil Service transfer process. Therefore, while successful candidates can transfer in on their existing terms and conditions, any subsequent transfer out of the College to the Civil Service cannot be guaranteed on existing terms and conditions, and new starter/modernised terms may apply.

The College embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we comply with the Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) and apply the minimum selection criteria at sift stage of the recruitment process.

Job description

We are looking for people who are motivated by public service, interested in responsible innovation, and comfortable working collaboratively across organisational, operational and technical boundaries. Joining PoliceAI means contributing to a supportive, multidisciplinary team that is helping to shape the future of policing and ensure AI is used in ways that are effective, responsible, operationally useful and worthy of public trust.

This role sits within the Tool Theft and Acquisitive Crime Programme, a ministerial priority that is testing whether artificial intelligence and better data can cut tool theft and improve recovery for tradespeople and small businesses across England and Wales. The postholder combines day-to-day delivery management of the programme with operational subject matter expertise in tool theft, organised acquisitive crime, and the partner landscape surrounding it.

Working under the Programme Lead, and alongside a mix of business and technical specialists, the postholder runs the delivery rhythm of the programme, acts as the main contact for pilot forces, and brings frontline credibility to every conversation with technology and data partners and the wider stakeholder network. We are looking for someone with credible operational experience of acquisitive crime and a track record of managing delivery in a policing or comparable public sector setting.

You should be confident working alongside technical partners and translating operational need into practical requirements, with strong communication skills for briefing senior stakeholders. Experience of tool theft specifically, or of working with partners such as Opal, NaVCIS, or Trading Standards, is an advantage but not a requirement.

Hybrid working, with regular travel to pilot forces across England and Wales.​

Person specification

Some of your responsibilities will include:

• Manage and deliver the programme plan across the AI intervention and data integration strands, tracking milestones and escalating risks and dependencies to the Programme Lead.
• Act as the main point of contact for pilot forces, coordinating testing, gathering feedback, and resolving field-level issues.
• Bring direct operational knowledge of tool theft and organised acquisitive crime to shape requirements, test assumptions, and sense-check tooling against how officers and victims experience the problem.
• Maintain working relationships with key operational partners across policing and industry, keeping the stakeholder map current as the programme develops.
• Support benefits tracking and contribute to SLT-facing reporting on progress, risk, and the case for continued investment.

To be successful in this role you’ll need:

• Operational experience of acquisitive crime, ideally tool theft or organised acquisitive crime, with knowledge of how disposal markets and recovery processes work in practice.
• A track record of managing projects or workstreams to time, scope, and budget in a policing or comparable public sector setting.
• Experience of identifying, managing, and escalating risks and issues in a complex delivery environment, with strong written and verbal communication for senior stakeholder briefings. Confidence working alongside technical partners and translating between operational need and technical delivery.
• Experience of working across force boundaries, or in a national, regional, or multi-agency environment.

Please see the attached job description which contains full details of the role.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace
• Working Together

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Knowledge of tool theft, organised acquisitive crime, and the landscape of property registers and disposal markets
• Understanding of project management principles and structured delivery in a policing or public sector context.

Benefits

College staff have Public Servant status. As a Public Servant, you are eligible to join the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension Scheme.

The College is a great place to work. We're passionate about our people and offer a wide range of benefits, including (but not limited to):

• Defined benefit pension scheme with an average employer contribution of 28.97%
• Up to 31.5 days holiday (this is in addition to 8 public holidays and 1 privilege day)
• Continued professional development and structured career paths
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption leave
• Flexi-time (for certain grades)
• Benenden Healthcare
• National Dental Plan
• Discounts for on-line shopping
• Free employee support line
• Interest free season ticket loans
• Rewards and recognition scheme
• Learning and development tailored to your role.
• An environment with flexible working options.
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity.

We also have a number of thriving staff networks that provide the opportunity for advice, support and to drive change. A place to get your voice heard, share experiences and challenge our working practices to ensure equality of opportunity for all.

• For more information about our benefits and staff networks, visit What we offer as an employer , College of Policing
• Things you need to know
• Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window) , and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

Vacancy reference: 7227

Application

As part of the application process, you will be required to complete the following:

• 1) CV
• 2) Personal Statement (500 words maximum)
• Sift – Date to be Confirmed

An initial sift will be undertaken against the Personal Statement.

Candidates who are successful at the initial sift stage will progress to a full sift, where the remaining assessment element (CV) will be reviewed and scored.

Candidates who do not achieve the minimum pass mark at the initial sift stage will not have their Behaviour statement assessed and will receive a score only for the element assessed at the initial sift.

Interview – Date to be Confirmed

If you are successful at the sift stage, you will be invited to attend an interview.

Interviews will be conducted via Microsoft Teams.

This role is available for 12 months as a secondment opportunity to:

• ​​Applications for this role are restricted to existing officers of a UK police force or UK policing organisation.​
• Serving police officers who are substantive in the rank of Inspector, or who are substantive in the rank of Sergeant and suitably qualified for supported temporary promotion to Inspector. All applicants must have the support of their Chief Officer which must be of NPCC rank, i.e., CC, ACC or DCC and this must accompany an application.

Central service conditions may apply.

Please ensure you return the attached secondment approval form either as an attachment when submitting your application or via email to recruitment@college.police.uk.

For further information on applying for a secondment please visit the “ Secondments into the College ” page.

Internal applicants who are at risk of redundancy or in need of redeployment and pass the recruitment process, will be given priority over other applicants.

How to apply and contact information:

For further information visit our ‘Work for us’ page.

What it's like working at the College of Policing

If you would like to discuss the role in more detail please contact Dylan Alldridge - Dylan.Alldridge@college.police.uk , Deputy Director – Strategy & Co-ordination

We believe that a diverse workforce brings many benefits to the organisation including diversity of thought and improvements to the way we work internally and with partners and communities. We strive to be fully inclusive but we know there is more to do. We genuinely encourage people from all backgrounds and underrepresented groups to apply for this role.

We want to continually improve our recruitment processes and to remove any barriers to equal opportunities that could disadvantage those from particular backgrounds. In order for us to have the information to do this, we ask you to please complete the diversity section of the online application process. We use a “blind” shortlisting process and we hope that by using this method we will be able to promote greater diversity in our workforce and remove any subconscious decisions based on biases.

The College is committed to support the Greening Government Commitment and reducing our Environmental impact. We have a dynamic Environmental Management Plan in