Next-Gen Policing: Policing an Uncertain Future
Sydney, Australia
The 16th Pearls in Policing Conference was hosted in Sydney, Australia, from 21 – 23 May 2023 and was organised by the by the Australian Federal Police and the New South Wales Police Force, together with the Pearls Secretariat in The Netherlands. The theme of the conference was “Next-Gen Policing: The New Reality”.
During the Pearls Conference discussions were based on the research conducted by the members of the International Action Learning Group (IALG), inspiring interactive sessions and peer to peer consultations. The annual conference is the culmination of a year of continuous learning undertaken by the IALG. This learning group presented its findings at the start of the conference. The assignment for the 2022-2023 IALG has been formulated together with the Australian Federal Police and the New South Wales Police Force: Being part of a dynamic and increasingly complex world, police forces from across the globe continue to be impacted by political polarisation, technological innovation, climate change, and the dynamics of global economic inequality, fluctuating economies, world-wide emergencies and global conflict. As we look to the future, police leaders must anticipate to occurring changes and develop methods to adapt police operations to remain effective, efficient, responsive and relevant. In this assignment, we ask how police forces can prepare themselves and equip the next generation of police officers for an uncertain and complex future, and how police professionals from across the globe can work collectively to develop a common vision for policing the future with the support of other sectors.