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