Orlo announced as official supplier for the Police Digital Service

The PDS exists to harness the power of digital, data, technology and the policing workforce to better protect the communities policing serves. It is the delivery vehicle for the National Policing Digital Strategy 2020-2030, and aims to deliver the capabilities to create a smarter, more digitally enhanced police service whose workforce can more fully exploit data and technology to inform improved decision-making, strengthen operational effectiveness, drive value for money and most importantly better safeguard and protect the public. The Social Media Management & Engagement Framework is part of the PDS commercial service and aims to support provision of more choice in how the public engage with the police, using the channels, media or devices that are most relevant to them, as well as enabling officers and staff through digital.

Via a competitive tender process starting in December 2020, Orlo submitted evidence of how their digital conversations platform can be used to execute these new social media best practices in policing. With features designed with police forces in mind, the Orlo platform enables Police to comply with the European Electronic Communications Code, meet citizen expectations around being able to report crimes and non-emergency incidents via social media, and professionalize their approach to digital comms.

“We’re proud to already help a quarter of all UK police forces in achieving a mature social media strategy,” said Phil Evans, Managing Director of Orlo. “Now as a PDS official supplier we hope to assist many more in their digital transformations as they implement the National Policing Digital Strategy.”

“We’re pleased to have Orlo on board as an official supplier to the framework,” said Ian Bell, CEO of the Police Digital Service. “Having met the requirements set by the tender, we’re confident our framework suppliers can provide technology to help forces deliver key aspects of the National Policing Digital Strategy in relation to public interaction.”

One of Orlo’s recently onboarded policing clients is Dyfed-Powys. Their Digital Communications Officer, Ben Cole added: “After a competitive tender process, Orlo were our chosen supplier to help support our work to use social media as a contact channel, and as a management platform for social media use right across our organisation. We’ve had great support right throughout this process from the Orlo team who really understand the unique challenges we face in policing and the tools we need to overcome these, especially as we take our first steps into a new way of being accessible to our communities. It’s been great to have Orlo on board as we’ve gone through the biggest changes we’ve ever made to social media in Dyfed-Powys.”