Penetration Testing for UK Police forces
CREST-accredited pentesting to secure critical systems, from Command & Control to digital forensics, and meet NCSC CAF objectives.
Our expert, vetted testers understand modern police technologies (Niche, Athena, BWV) and provide actionable, risk-based reporting.
Deep experience in Police force engagements
We have extensive, proven experience working across numerous UK police forces. Our CREST-accredited teams understand the unique operational environment of policing. We conduct all engagement types, from network infrastructure tests and cloud (Azure/AWS) assessments to testing critical applications like Command & Control (C&C), case management (e.g., Niche, Athena), and intelligence databases.
Assess Police tech against NCSC CAF for Policing
We are familiar with modern police technologies, from in-car ANPR and body-worn video (BWV) to digital forensics and force-specific applications. We don't just find vulnerabilities; we link them directly to the NCSC Cyber Assessment Framework (CAF). Our reports show how findings impact your CAF objectives and integrate with your wider security (MDR, EDR, SIEM) to provide a holistic view of your risk. For gap analysis and remediation beyond testing, our Cyber Consultancy & Compliance for Policing team can support your wider CAF programme.
Police supply chain & 3rd party application testing for Policing
A significant risk to police forces comes from the third-party software and suppliers you rely on. Our specialists conduct rigorous penetration testing of your supply chain, including 3rd-party applications, API integrations, and vendor connections. We help you identify and manage this inherited risk, ensuring your partners (e.g., for Niche, BWV, forensics tools) meet the same high standards you do.
CREST & CHECK Accredited Testing for UK Policing
Police forces need more than a report with a logo on it. Claranet is a CREST-accredited member company and holds NCSC-approved CHECK status, giving your force testing that satisfies both general security-assurance expectations and the specific requirements that apply to government and public-sector systems.
Our testers are individually CREST-qualified and NPPV/SC-cleared, so they can work directly with sensitive systems - from Command & Control and case management platforms like Niche and Athena, to digital evidence and forensics environments - without compromising your information governance obligations.
Every engagement produces evidence you can use beyond the test itself. Findings are mapped to the NCSC Cyber Assessment Framework (CAF) objectives your force is assessed against as an Operator of Essential Services, and our reports give your team a clear, defensible basis for Police Digital Service Security Assessment for Policing (SyAP) submissions - not just a vulnerability list. Want to understand what CREST accreditation means for buyers and how it's assessed? Read our guide to CREST penetration testing.
Ready to test your force's critical systems?
Speak to our CREST-accredited, CHECK-approved team about scoping a penetration test for your force's Command & Control, case management or digital evidence platforms.
Scope Your Force's Penetration Test
Or call us on 0330 390 0507
Penetration Testing Faqs for Policing
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It's penetration testing tailored to the unique technologies and regulatory pressures of UK policing. This includes assessing systems like 999 call handling, Command & Control, Niche/Athena, and digital evidence management. Crucially, it aligns findings with frameworks like the NCSC CAF, which is a requirement for police as Operators of Essential Services (OES).
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Yes. Our testers are CREST-accredited and undergo rigorous vetting, including background checks (e.g., SC clearance), allowing them to work safely and professionally with sensitive police systems and data.
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Our reports map findings directly to the NCSC Cyber Assessment Framework (CAF) objectives your force is assessed against as an Operator of Essential Services, giving your team clear, defensible evidence for Police Digital Service Security Assessment for Policing (SyAP) submissions — not just a technical findings list.
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It depends on the system and its classification, rather than being a single blanket rule. CHECK specifically applies to testing certain government and protectively-marked systems, while CREST accreditation is the more commonly specified bar for wider policing IT estate. Working with a provider holding both, like Claranet, means you don't need to solve that question separately for every engagement.
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Claranet is a CREST-accredited member company and holds NCSC-approved CHECK status, meaning our testing satisfies both broad security-assurance expectations and the specific requirements that apply to government, public-sector and CNI systems.
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Pentesting is a key control and evidence source for the CAF. It directly validates your security controls for Objective B (Protecting against cyber attack) and Objective D (Detecting cyber security events). Our reports explicitly map vulnerabilities to the CAF's principles, providing clear evidence for your NIS Directive compliance.
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A vulnerability scan is an automated tool that looks for known flaws. A penetration test is a manual, human-led engagement where an expert thinks like an attacker to find, verify, and exploit vulnerabilities. For critical police systems, a manual pentest is essential to find complex flaws that scanners miss.
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Yes. We have experience assessing the full ecosystem of modern police technologies. This includes the devices themselves (BWV, in-car tech), the mobile applications, the backend cloud storage (e.g., in Azure or AWS), and the API integrations, ensuring the entire evidence chain is secure.