Abstract
<jats:p>UK policing is being gainfully encouraged to adopt new technologies as a requirement to become more productive with limited resources, but also to reflect the society it polices. The extent to which AI systems, tools, and algorithms are being adopted, and the pace of adoption, is overplayed. The field has a natural and historic affinity with Complexity Theory, which it is argued is a compelling framework for public service administration in the age of AI augmentation. Epistemology and methodology are explored, using hypernetwork theory as a mathematical tool for prioritising data maturity functions that represent police organisations within operating model design. The argument is made that the application of AI will not be successful, or be accepted by the public, without an effective data foundation strategy. An example is provided of a data strategy for a UK metropolitan police force, adapted from Carruthers and Jackson (2022), as applied to organisational priorities reflective of the hypernetworks modelled.</jats:p>