In 2019, the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) launched the National Cybercrime Training Programme in order to ensure the regional and local cybercrime units are equipped with the skills and knowledge required to tackle cybercrime. Adopting the counter-terrorism approach, the training is split across the 4Ps of cybercrime policing: Pursue, Protect, Prepare, and Prevent. We worked with the NPCC to conduct a first major evaluation of the National Cybercrime Training Programme across the 43 Police Forces of England and Wales, in order to make recommendations for how this training might be enhanced moving forwards.

Our Learning and Workforce Transformation team applied our learning-oriented discovery methodology to assess the training needs of cybercrime policing personnel in line with the 4Ps. We conducted a four-week discovery using mixed-methods user research to map the learning needs of a diverse sample of cybercrime policing personnel. Our researchers identified individuals’ job tasks, goals, motivations and pain points through in-depth user interviews and focus groups. Utilising our research, and an internal network of cyber experts, we completed a learning and capability gap analysis to identify the knowledge and skills required for effective practise in cybercrime policing.

Following the research phase, job task and gap analysis, our team produced specific learning objectives and programme design requirements for future cybercrime training, highlighting where existing knowledge and skills could be enhanced. To conclude, we produced a detailed evaluation report, providing recommendations across the areas of curricular content, content format, training techniques, operational delivery and quality assurance for future iterations of the training.

Our tailored learning-oriented discovery provided the NPCC with valuable data on the learning needs of cybercrime policing personnel across its forces. Through mapping job requirements across the cybercrime policing landscape directly to learning needs, we were able to produce training design recommendations that are both effective and efficient. Our evaluation report detailed specific requirements for the successful design and delivery of a new programme, used by the NPCC in their training procurement decisions moving forward.