Delivering Tangible Solutions For Real-World Issues

blPN 2024 AGENDA

BLPN is a unique, one day learning and networking event which brings together the most inspirational leaders and transformational suppliers in the emergency service sector to share ideas, knowledge and experience.

Our agenda has been carefully curated to address the most relevant and emerging challenges in the sector today.

BLPN 2024

10 October, DoubleTree Hilton Tower Bridge, London

Day 1

10 October 2024

8:00 am - 9:00 am

Main Room

Registration
9:00 am - 9:05 am

Main Room

Chair’s opening remarks

Catherine Akehurst

Assistant Chief Constable
Hertfordshire Constabulary

Welcome to BLPN 2024!
9:05 am - 9:35 am

Main Room

Opening keynote presentation: Approaching Large Scale Digital Transformation

Stephen Bromhall

Chief Digital Information Officer
East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust

There is no doubt that the next decade will be transformative for emergency services, and it is an exciting place to be. In this opening session, Stephen will share insights from last week’s public board meeting, examining his journey ...

There is no doubt that the next decade will be transformative for emergency services, and it is an exciting place to be. In this opening session, Stephen will share insights from last week’s public board meeting, examining his journey and the development of the digital strategy at SECAMB. Talking through the patient lens, paramedic lens and internal lens he will expand on the role of digital enablement including people, process and contemplating what the future might look like within the ambulance service.
9:35 am - 9:50 am

Main Room

Blue light tech procurement - market trends and how to save money
Lorna Ingwell

Research Manager
Tussell
Blue light bodies are spending millions of pounds with tech suppliers. In this session, Tussell’s Research Manager – Lorna Ingwell, will use hard data to explore:

What this money’s being spent on

...

Blue light bodies are spending millions of pounds with tech suppliers. In this session, Tussell’s Research Manager – Lorna Ingwell, will use hard data to explore:

What this money’s being spent on

Which tech suppliers dominate the blue light market

Which frameworks and DPSs are being used to award new work

How blue light bodies could save money by harnessing smart procurement data
9:55 am - 10:10 am

Main Room

Dragons' den: speed presentations

Dragons’ Den – a quick-fire pitch session featuring all of our sponsors. Each supplier delivers a 60-second elevator pitch about their solution – giving you an opportunity to earmark suppliers and solutions you are most interested ...

Dragons’ Den – a quick-fire pitch session featuring all of our sponsors. Each supplier delivers a 60-second elevator pitch about their solution – giving you an opportunity to earmark suppliers and solutions you are most interested in.
10:15 am - 11:05 am

Main Room

Coffee break and business meetings

15 minute meetings with suppliers who are offering solutions most relevant to your challenges. Please check the schedule on the back of your delegate pass for your meeting timings.
11:10 am - 11:40 am

Main Room

Panel discussion: Collaborating effectively for public good

Catherine Akehurst

Assistant Chief Constable
Hertfordshire Constabulary

Mark Price

Area Manager, Head of Operations and Risk
Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service

Dan Thorogood

Head of Contact Services
Devon and Cornwall Police

Vicky Moss-Crump

Head of Digital, Data and Technology
Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue

Dave Boyle

Chief Superintendent, and National lead for Strategy & Transformation
National JESIP Team

When major incidents occur, the collaborative efforts between fire, police, and ambulance services are seamless. However, there is significant potential to enhance this collaboration in day-to-day operations, thereby improving service de...

When major incidents occur, the collaborative efforts between fire, police, and ambulance services are seamless. However, there is significant potential to enhance this collaboration in day-to-day operations, thereby improving service delivery to our communities. The push for deeper and stronger collaboration between emergency services has been recognised as a critical next step. Studies have shown that improvements in service efficiency, quality, and cohesion can be driven through stronger collaboration, such as co-responding and co-location among blue-light services. Efficient data-sharing across services ensures that first responders are better equipped to handle incidents and provide superior service to citizens. We ask the panel about strategies to achieve these goals and discuss the benefits of a more integrated approach.

We ask the panel the following:

1. People aspect – How are you approaching skills and new technology change management, everything from engagement online, bringing people online, embedding tools, avoid making assumptions, maintenance of old applications and legacy tech?

2. How can we leverage user access and experience to enhance day-to-day collaboration between fire, police, and ambulance services, and what specific tools or platforms have proven most effective?

3. What are the key technological, operational and regional challenges that emergency services face in achieving seamless data-sharing, and how can these be overcome?
4. In what ways can co-responding and co-location of blue-light services be supported by technology to improve service efficiency, quality, and cohesion?
5. How can advancements in AI and real-time data analytics improve the ability of first responders to handle incidents and provide superior service to citizens?
6. How do we use technology better to train responder agencies?
7. Dave – Jessop isn’t just for emergency services, how do we ensure inclusivity to incidents? Testing and exercising – how we enable tech to provide opportunities for people to access training testing and exercising within the workplace
8. How does AI intuitively test and exercise people – access to intuitive tech training
9. What are the learning outcomes?
11:45 am - 12:00 pm

Main Room

Case load easing with Box AI

Michael O’Neill

Head of Policing
Box

Blue light services are feeling the pressure to modernise public safety and improve stakeholder experiences. Digitising paper processes and unlocking the value of GenAI has become imperative to improve officer efficiency, freeing teams u...

Blue light services are feeling the pressure to modernise public safety and improve stakeholder experiences. Digitising paper processes and unlocking the value of GenAI has become imperative to improve officer efficiency, freeing teams up to protect their communities. But how can you use Box AI to get real results?
Discover practical examples of how you can ease case loads:
• Summarise suspect interviews with admission or denial time date stamps
• Image & text summarisation of handwritten witness and suspect statements
• Summarise Cellebrite mobile phone reports in seconds to identify drug dealers, crimes committed, and a ranked order of people involved in crimes.
12:05 pm - 12:20 pm

Main Room

Enhancing Operational Efficiency for Emergency Services using AI-Driven Network Solutions

Jordan Fenton

Account Manager
Telent

Thomas Bell

Account Manager
Juniper

The network is the backbone of emergency services operations, requiring utmost reliability and security to ensure effective communication and execution of critical services. This session will delve into how artificial intelligence (AI) c...

The network is the backbone of emergency services operations, requiring utmost reliability and security to ensure effective communication and execution of critical services. This session will delve into how artificial intelligence (AI) can significantly enhance the operational efficiency of IT teams within emergency services.

Questions we will answer during the session:
• How can IT teams can focus on strategic initiatives whilst reducing operational costs in emergency services?
• How can AI technologies can streamline network management processes, including predictive analytics, automated troubleshooting, and proactive maintenance?
• Which UK Public Sector organisations rely on this technology daily?

Join us to understand how leveraging AI can transform network operations, leading to better service delivery while maintaining a secure and resilient infrastructure.
12:20 pm - 1:00 pm

Main Room

Networking lunch

An opportunity to connect with your peers and suppliers to talk over the learnings from the event. Lunch is served buffet style and a range of options are available to cater for different dietary requirements.
1:05 pm - 1:35 pm

Main Room

Open discussion : Navigating digitally enabled change

Catherine Akehurst

Assistant Chief Constable
Hertfordshire Constabulary

Matthew Farrow

Head of Data Science
Metropolitan Police

Jennifer Housego

Head of Digital Change
Essex Police

n an ideal world, we’d have all the shiny new AI tools, our response times would be lightning-fast, and our operations would be silky smooth. But let’s face it, we’re not there yet. Sure, AI is making waves in certain areas and get...

n an ideal world, we’d have all the shiny new AI tools, our response times would be lightning-fast, and our operations would be silky smooth. But let’s face it, we’re not there yet. Sure, AI is making waves in certain areas and getting a thumb-up, but the real challenge is creating the organisational structures, ethical processes and data infrastructure to deploy these tools. How do we navigate this high-tech maze with less money and regional complexities? Let’s dive into the good, the bad, and the potentially game-changing realities of operational technology.

We ask,
• What are the major challenges and obstacles faced in integrating AI into emergency services, and how can these be overcome?
• Quality data is key to the application of AI, what are some of the foundations we need for democratisation across the force?
• What are the most promising applications, policies and processes for of AI currently being used in emergency services, and how have they impacted response times and operational efficiency
• Given the budget constraints, how can emergency services strategically identify regional requirements and their benefits without overspending?
• Do you have any examples of real-time decision-making and situational awareness for first responders on the ground?
• What ethical considerations and potential risks should be addressed when implementing new technical capabilities in emergency services?
• How can we leverage innovative partnerships to tackle complex challenges together?
1:40 pm - 2:30 pm

Main Room

Coffee break and business meetings

15 minute meetings with suppliers who are offering solutions most relevant to your challenges. Please check the schedule on the back of your delegate pass for your meeting timings.
2:35 pm - 3:05 pm

Main Room

Panel discussion followed by interactive roundtables - The scrutiny panel: lessons learned from the police

Catherine Akehurst

Assistant Chief Constable
Hertfordshire Constabulary

Andrew George

President
National Black Police Association

Ahenkora Bediako

Detective Superintendant
Metropolitan Police

Alex Elkomaty

EDI lead/ National Lead for women of colour
Metropolitan Police

The emergency services frequently find themselves under scrutiny from the media and members of the public for lack of diversity, inclusion and culture. It is also no secret that there has been numerous high-profile cases of gross miscond...

The emergency services frequently find themselves under scrutiny from the media and members of the public for lack of diversity, inclusion and culture. It is also no secret that there has been numerous high-profile cases of gross misconduct and illegal behaviour by emergency service personnel. So how can we take a 360 turn and begin to rebuild trust and restore public confidence? This session explores what we can learn from the police and their developments from the internal processes, staff and language, the impact and measurement alongside the role of community. We will then open-up this conversation into roundtables to share in our experiences across all services.

1. Let’s strip this back to some of the fundamental ingredients for a positive and vibrant culture, diversity and inclusion. Why is there such a lack of diversity within certain services and what can we do to mend this?
2. Incorporate the race action plan and how we integrate that into communities, and how do we deal with misconduct?
3. Community tensions internal disruptions and impact in the last year
4. What do you use to measure the impact of EDI, what systems do you use to ensure they are fair and standardised?
5. What can we all do to break the mould and better represent our communities?
6. How is emerging tech supporting diversity and inclusion and what are some of the drawbacks?
7. How can we fail and take accountability?
3:55 pm - 4:00 pm

Main Room

Chair's closing remarks
4:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Main Room

Networking drinks reception

Networking sessions – throughout the event we host a networking lunch as well as a drinks reception to give you ample opportunity to connect with your peers and suppliers over the learnings from the event.
3:10 pm - 3:40 pm

Focus Group 1

Turning chaos into clarity: the data analytics revolution in emergency services

Why aren’t we utilising data analytics to its full potential? Imagine a world where real-time data turns chaos into clarity for our emergency responders. Despite 88% of police forces offering desktop analytics, only half provide mobile...

Why aren’t we utilising data analytics to its full potential? Imagine a world where real-time data turns chaos into clarity for our emergency responders. Despite 88% of police forces offering desktop analytics, only half provide mobile access, and a mere 15% use mobile data terminals in vehicles. This mobile data drought is a missed opportunity for making swift, informed decisions in the field.

Why are we ignoring the power of multi-agency data sharing? Only half of our police forces collaborate with social services, fire departments, hospitals, and other agencies. Combining this data could supercharge community outcomes and preventative measures.

And let’s talk about data literacy—why is it nearly non-existent? Despite having analytics tools, 94% of UK police forces lack data literacy programs, leaving our officers in the dark.
3:10 pm - 3:40 pm

Focus Group 2

Critical infrastructure to drive front line and back-office performance

Why aren’t we fully leveraging critical infrastructure in emergency services? Despite advances, many services face persistent challenges in integrating new technologies with existing systems. How can we ensure that both frontline and b...

Why aren’t we fully leveraging critical infrastructure in emergency services? Despite advances, many services face persistent challenges in integrating new technologies with existing systems. How can we ensure that both frontline and back-office operations benefit from robust and effective infrastructure?

Why is seamless integration of new technologies with existing infrastructure crucial for improving emergency response times and operational efficiency? For instance, the recent enhancements in the 999-call handling system show progress yet highlight the need for ongoing improvements.

How can we use advanced communication systems and data analytics to drive better outcomes in emergency situations? We’ll examine how effective infrastructure supports superior service delivery and coordination among emergency responders and administrative functions.