NPCC: UK Police upskills staff with Immersive Labs

ORGANIZATION BACKGROUND

The National Police Chiefs’ Council Cybercrime Programme builds capacity and capability to tackle cyber dependent crime at the local, regional, national and international level. The programme works across the four Ps (Protect, Prevent, Prepare and Pursue) to increase the UK’s cyber resilience and ensure it prospers in the digital world.

CHALLENGE

The programme needed to upskill police staff in cybersecurity in a dynamic landscape; with thousands of staff located across the UK, physical training was unviable. The programme also required a digital platform with a volume and complexity of content that would enable staff of every level to develop cyber skills on their own terms.

SOLUTION

The programme purchased 99 Immersive Labs licenses for each region in the UK to distribute among its forces. This enabled police staff to upskill in cybersecurity no matter their level or where they were based. The platform gave them unlimited access to cloud-based labs on demand, meaning appropriate content could be accessed at any time by any number of teams or individuals.

Managers also created highly specific training objectives that challenged teams and individuals to demonstrate their hands-on expertise. As a result police staff have completed over 2,000 labs in the first 12 months, covering topics such as malware, phishing emails and cyber ethics.

"Immediate access to Immersive Labs provides staff with not only knowledge and skills but also the feeling that they are a valued member of the team."
– Paul Taylor, Regional Coordinator

BENEFITS

The foremost benefit was being able to access the platform 24/7.
A quarter of all activity occurred outside core working hours, as staff had the flexibility to fit it around their shifts. By learning outside of core working hours, staff honed their skills without disrupting normal organizational function. Immersive Labs provided a level of flexibility, cost-efficiency and breadth of training that was unmatched, enabling every employee to upskill in cybersecurity.

"The team has a much better understanding of the potential risks out there and has used Immersive Labs to understand the options to stop the attack and the impacts on business efficiency with each option available. It helps us make more informed decisions about the best way to tackle an incident."
– Adam Gwinnett, Head of Strategy, Enterprise Architecture and Cybersecurity

Immersive Labs actively engages employees with cybersecurity. In the first 12 months using the platform, UK Police forces achieved the following:

Immersive Labs is the world’s first human cyber readiness platform.

Our technology delivers challenge-based cybersecurity content developed by experts and powered by the latest threat intelligence. Our unique approach enables businesses to battle-test and evidence their workforce's preparedness to face emerging cyber threats.

INDUSTRY

Law Enforcement

CHALLENGE

RESULTS