In an age where threats are increasingly borderless, instantaneous and data-driven, law enforcement is under pressure like never before. Crime is evolving at pace, from cybercrime and ransomware to misinformation and digital exploitation. Yet the tools available to police and national security agencies are often tied to outdated systems, slow procurement cycles and legacy mindsets.

The question is no longer whether technology will reshape policing. It already has. The real question is whether our systems, institutions and capabilities are evolving fast enough to keep up.

Having spent more than three decades in law enforcement, including time as Deputy Commissioner of the New South Wales Police Force, I have witnessed the evolution of policing up close. While the fundamentals of policing: trust, presence, community engagement and operational discipline remain critical, the environment we operate in has changed profoundly.

This piece follows on from my previous blog on national security resilience. In that article, I wrote about the importance of trust, preparation and sovereign capability in the face of increasingly complex threats. This time, I want to turn our focus to the frontline. To the people and systems that keep communities safe and ask a more confronting question: are we truly ready for what the future of crime and safety will demand?

The Pace of Change
The velocity of technological change is extraordinary. Artificial intelligence, encryption, blockchain, quantum computing and deepfake technology are no longer futuristic concepts. They are tools already being used for both good and harm.

Criminal networks are leveraging encrypted communication platforms to organise operations. Malicious actors are using AI to generate convincing fake identities and exploit digital systems. Online environments, from social media to the dark web, are being weaponised to radicalise, defraud and manipulate, often at a scale that overwhelms traditional investigative methods.

In this context, traditional law enforcement tools and processes are being outpaced. We cannot rely on outdated systems or siloed information flows to detect, respond to and disrupt these threats. Doing so puts public safety and institutional trust at risk.

The Cost of Falling Behind
Technology, when not properly integrated into policing, can become a barrier rather than an enabler. I have seen this first-hand in environments where frontline officers lacked access to timely, accurate or complete information. In operational contexts, even small gaps in data, whether due to poor system design, lagging interoperability or fragmented access, can result in missed opportunities, slower response times or compromised safety.

This is not just a technical issue. It is an issue of public trust. Communities expect law enforcement to be equipped with the tools needed to respond swiftly and effectively. When technology fails or lags, it is not only operational outcomes that suffer. It is confidence in the very institutions that exist to protect and serve.

The broader cost to the nation is also mounting. Over the past five years, cybercrime has cost the Australian economy tens of billions of dollars. In a single year, estimated losses reached $33 billion, with costs continuing to rise across government, business and critical infrastructure sectors. These are not abstract figures. They represent real impacts on public safety, economic stability and national resilience.

If Australia is serious about becoming the most cyber secure nation by 2030, then government and industry must work in close partnership and invest accordingly. This is not a challenge we can address incrementally. It requires coordinated, urgent action that prioritises both technological readiness and operational effectiveness.

Getting the Balance Right
In recent years, I have had the opportunity to work not only in frontline and executive policing roles, but also alongside government and industry partners at the intersection of strategy, technology and national security. Through this experience, I have come to understand just how critical the balance between innovation and operational practicality really is.

When technology is designed in isolation from operational realities, it fails. When systems prioritise data collection over data utility, frontline users disengage. And when information is not made available quickly enough, accurately enough or comprehensively enough, it can actively hinder decision-making.

Data integrity should enhance policing, not slow it down. The systems we build must serve the people who rely on them under pressure, officers, analysts, responders and community leaders. We need to design with outcomes in mind. That means building systems that are intuitive, fast, secure and capable of integrating multiple streams of intelligence, all while maintaining the necessary safeguards, legal frameworks and ethical standards that underpin community trust.

The Role of Trusted Partners
No agency can solve this challenge alone. Public institutions need to work with trusted private sector partners who understand not just the technology, but the operational and security environment in which that technology must perform.

This includes understanding the weight of public service, the importance of timely and accurate information sharing, and the consequences of failing to deliver when lives are on the line.
It also includes recognising that partnerships must be grounded in shared values, accountability, service, integrity and a deep respect for the national interest.

Conclusion
These challenges are not hypothetical. They are already unfolding across the law enforcement and national security landscape. From leading critical operations as Deputy Commissioner to advising on national security strategy at the executive level, I have seen what happens when technology outpaces operational capability.

In my previous blog, I spoke about the role of trust and sovereign capability in strengthening national security resilience. This next chapter continues that reflection by focusing on how law enforcement must evolve to meet the demands of a digital age.

It is also why I have chosen to align with CAN.B Group. While the company may be emerging, it is led by professionals with deep, practical experience delivering outcomes where technology and policing converge. They understand not only what effective integration looks like, but also what happens when we fail to strike the right balance. When information is not made available quickly enough, accurately enough or in a way that is fulsome and trusted, outcomes suffer. In policing, that can mean missed opportunities, delayed responses or compromised community safety.
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Data integrity should not hinder operations. It should enhance them. The future of policing depends on getting this balance right but if we fail to act now, how long before the pace of change outstrips our ability to protect the very communities we serve?

In a world where security threats are becoming increasingly complex and unpredictable, Australia’s national security resilience has never been more important.

As someone who has spent decades responding to critical incidents and leading operations across policing and public safety, I have seen first-hand that resilience is not built during a crisis. It is built long before one occurs.

Drawing on my lived experience as a former New South Wales Police Force Deputy Commissioner, I will share some thoughts on the changing nature of Australia’s threat landscape and why trusted, sovereign partnerships are more critical than ever.

Today, national security resilience depends not only on how governments respond, but also on the trusted partners they choose. Sovereign, experienced Australian capability is no longer a luxury. It is a necessity.

Lessons from Crisis Leadership
Operational resilience, whether in policing or national security, comes from preparation, trusted relationships and a clear understanding of local conditions.

rust is not built overnight. It is earned through consistent performance under pressure and through relationships that stand the test of time.
In policing, trust is the foundation upon which operational legitimacy is built. The ‘Peelian Principles of Policing’, which have guided law enforcement under the Westminster system of Government for nearly two centuries, emphasise that the policing must occur with the trust and consent of the community. The same is true for national security resilience today.

​Trust can be fragile, and it must be earned, maintained and protected through consistent actions, not words.

The Changing Nature of Threats
The threat environment is no longer confined to physical domains. Today, threats extend across cyber security, the protection of critical infrastructure and broader geopolitical influence.

Critical infrastructure assets, including energy grids, water supplies, transport systems, health services and telecommunications, are now recognised as strategic national assets.

This means they have become prime targets for cyber-attacks, espionage and foreign interference.

Disruptions to these systems do not just create inconvenience. They undermine public confidence, economic stability and national security.
Foreign interference, targeting our institutions, information systems and critical infrastructure, is a very real threat and of ongoing concern.

National security is now multi-dimensional, and resilience must be built across all fronts, not just at the point of impact.

Why Trusted Australian Capability Matters
True national security resilience relies on the ability to maintain control, accountability and decision-making within Australia and therefore in an increasingly complex environment, investing in trusted local relationships and working with local, trusted organisations strengthens Australia’s resilience and ability to respond, recover and adapt.

Building a Stronger, More Resilient Nation Together
It is impossible for Governments acting alone to deliver the resilience required to meet today’s critical challenges.

Strengthening our national security resilience unquestionably requires collaboration with trusted Australian private sector partners who understand the operational demands of government and the security priorities of the nation and choosing the right partners will be critical to ensuring Australia’s long-term security and resilience.

Therefore, in my experience, the success of any crisis response has always hinged on trust – trust in your team, your systems and your partners – and it always will. As the ‘Peelian Principles of Policing’ remind us, trust is not given. It is earned through integrity, service and consistent performance.

​In a time when the threats facing our nation are diverse, complex and rapidly changing, strengthening Australia’s resilience through trusted, sovereign capability is not just important, it is essential to safeguarding our future and wonderfully unique way of life.