Avon and Somerset Police

What Avon and Somerset Police does

Avon and Somerset Police (legal name: Avon and Somerset Constabulary) is a territorial police force in England, established 1835 under the Police Act, delivering statutory policing services across the cities of Bristol, Bath and Wells and the counties of Somerset and South Gloucestershire. The force operates from a purpose-built headquarters in Portishead — officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 2 June 1995 — and provides emergency response via 999, non-emergency contact via 101, online crime reporting, neighbourhood policing teams, and proactive FOI publication of operational data. Its operational technology stack includes the Police National Database (Home Office-provided, used for facial searching only — the force explicitly disclaims facial recognition or AI video analytics), Body Worn Video, Automatic Number Plate Recognition, CCTV, speed camera enforcement (which processed 161,096 offences in 2025), and the JourneyCam citizen-submitted dash-cam programme. Internal IT and HR/shared-services operate on the Assyst ITSM tool, with customer-facing payments processed via Stripe and SMS/voice communications via Twilio.

The business model is publicly funded, not commercial. The force is financed through central government policing grants and council tax precept under the governance of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Avon and Somerset, with statutory fee-bearing services limited to firearms licensing, criminal record checks via ACRO, and subject access / FOI requests. Ancillary revenue is generated from special policing services payments for large events (e.g., Glastonbury Festival, which in 2019 deployed 1,381 officers). Customer segments are horizontal and geographically defined: the resident population is the primary service recipient, with named partnership relationships spanning the five local councils, the Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership, business crime reduction partnerships in Bath/Bristol/Yeovil, three football clubs, and the University of West of England. Accessibility is a structural differentiator — services are available in 13 languages and via BSL video relay (999 BSL, Convo/SignLive), Typetalk text telephone, and Relay UK emergency SMS.

Strategic posture is operational rather than commercial: the force prioritises transparency via proactive FOI publication (stop-and-search, use-of-force, hate crime statistics), multi-channel accessibility, and inter-agency information sharing. It explicitly avoids AI-led capabilities (no predictive policing, no Fusus-style video analytics), positioning itself as a procedural, rights-respecting operator. Its workforce composition spans sworn officers, Police Community Support Officers, Special Constabulary volunteers, Police Cadets (ages 13-17), and civilian staff, with month-end headcount disclosures as a transparency artefact.

Name

Avon and Somerset Police

Legal name

Avon and Somerset Constabulary

Website

https://avonandsomerset.police.uk

Company type

Public

Founded year

1835

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Avon and Somerset Police is a UK territorial police force delivering statutory emergency response, crime investigation, neighbourhood policing, and accessibility-led public safety services to residents across Bristol, Bath, Wells, Somerset, and South Gloucestershire.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Policing Services

NAICS

Police Protection (92212)

SIC

Services-Detective, Guard & Armored Car Services (7381)

akta.pro primary industry

Police Services (Patrol, Response & Community Policing) (BPAIAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Victim Services & Witness Assistance (Justice System) (BPAIAFAJ)

Keywords

• Public policing services
• Law enforcement
• Crime prevention
• Emergency response
• Community safety

Headquarters

HQ city

Portishead, North Somerset

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Policing Services: Avon and Somerset Police is a public police force funded through government taxation and police funding. Services are provided free at point of use to the public. The force also receives special policing services payments from event organizers for large festivals.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Avon and Somerset Police is a statutory territorial police force delivering frontline policing services to the public: emergency 999 response, 101 non-emergency contact, crime investigation, road-safety enforcement (speed cameras, ANPR), neighbourhood policing and community engagement, and safeguarding schemes such as the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme. The force also provides ancillary public services including firearms licensing, criminal record checks via ACRO, Freedom of Information responses, Subject Access Requests, accessibility services for deaf and hard-of-hearing communities (BSL video relay, Relay UK SMS), and special policing services for events such as festivals and football matches.

Product overview

Avon and Somerset Police operates a public-facing digital services platform offering a unified suite of policing services. The core offering includes online crime reporting, recruitment for police officers, PCSOs, police staff, police cadets, and special constabulary volunteers, alongside neighbourhood policing engagement. Key service modules include the Freedom of Information service, speed camera information portal, stop and search statistics, use of force reporting, and the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme. The platform also provides accessibility services for Deaf and hard-of-hearing communities via BSL video relay and SMS emergency services. The digital infrastructure is built on third-party integrations including Google Analytics, Stripe, Twilio, and Convo for BSL interpretation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Online Crime and Incident Reporting
• Neighbourhood Policing
• Speed Camera Enforcement and Information Service
• Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme (DVDS)
• JourneyCam Submissions
• Freedom of Information Service
• Subject Access Request Service
• British Sign Language Accessibility Services
• Police Officer Recruitment
• Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) Recruitment
• Special Constabulary Volunteer Programme
• Police Cadets Programme
• Stop and Search Statistics Publication
• Use of Force Reporting
• Telephone Satisfaction Survey

Quantifiable outcome

• 161,096 speed camera offences detected in 2025
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

AI capability2 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Bath & North East Somerset CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOperational policing and safeguarding information sharing partnership. Council shares data for joint tackling of policing, crime and anti-social behaviour issues.
• Bristol City CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOperational policing and safeguarding information sharing partnership. Major urban local authority covering largest city in force area.
• North Somerset CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOperational policing and safeguarding information sharing partnership. Council covers Portishead and surrounding areas where Police HQ is located.
• Somerset CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOperational policing and safeguarding information sharing partnership covering rural Somerset areas.
• South Gloucestershire CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOperational policing and safeguarding information sharing partnership covering South Gloucestershire area.
• Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership (AWP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMental health crisis response and joint working for individuals experiencing mental health episodes requiring police involvement.
• Home OfficecoreTechnology or IntegrationProvider of Police National Database used by Avon and Somerset for facial searching capabilities. National policing infrastructure.
• Bristol City Football ClubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpecial policing services and information sharing for public safety at sporting events and stadium operations.
• Bristol Rovers Football ClubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpecial policing services and information sharing for public safety at sporting events and stadium operations.
• University of West of England (UWE)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch evaluation and operational policing information sharing. Academic partnership for evidence-based policing research.
• National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational coordination body providing authorized professional practice guidance, national retention schedules, and policy frameworks.
• Convo (formerly SignLive)coreTechnology or IntegrationVideo relay interpreting service provider enabling deaf BSL users to make non-emergency 101 calls to police through mobile app or web portal.
• 999 BSLcoreTechnology or IntegrationEmergency video relay service for deaf BSL users to make 999 emergency calls. Available via app download or 999bsl.co.uk website.
• Relay UKcoreTechnology or IntegrationEmergency SMS service provider for deaf, deafened, hard-of-hearing and speech-impaired individuals to text 999 for emergency services.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Metropolitan Police Service: The UK's largest police force, covering Greater London. Operates the same statutory policing model with national-leadership responsibilities on counter-terrorism and organized crime, providing an upper-bound benchmark for force scale, digital service maturity, and accessibility infrastructure investment.
• West Midlands Police: Larger urban metropolitan police force covering Birmingham and the West Midlands conurbation. Comparable statutory policing model and digital services stack, but operating at materially greater scale with more urban-focused demand.
• Greater Manchester Police: Large metropolitan police force covering Greater Manchester. Shares the statutory force structure, PCC governance, and BSL/accessibility initiatives but serves a fundamentally more urban population at materially larger scale.

Direct peers

• Wiltshire Police: Smaller neighboring territorial force covering Wiltshire, geographically adjacent to Avon and Somerset with overlapping rural policing patterns. Provides a natural regional peer for benchmarking on cost-per-head and digital service delivery.
• Hampshire Constabulary: Southern England territorial police force with a comparable headcount and budget, operating across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. Similar demographic mix including urban centers (Southampton, Portsmouth) and large rural areas, with comparable event policing and partnership-based service delivery.
• Devon and Cornwall Police: Another large territorial police force in southwest England with a similar mixed urban-rural geography covering Devon and Cornwall. Closely comparable in size, operational structure, and the coastal/rural profile that drives similar policing demand patterns.
• Dorset Police: Neighboring southern England territorial force covering Dorset, similar in size and rural-urban blend, with comparable seasonal tourism/event policing demands and partnership working with local councils.
• Gloucestershire Constabulary: Neighboring territorial force covering Gloucestershire, with significant cross-border operational overlap with Avon and Somerset. Comparable rural-urban split and small-force operational model.
• Thames Valley Police: Largest non-metropolitan English police force, covering Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire. Comparable in mixed urban-rural operating model, with overlapping neighbourhood policing, BSL/accessibility, and community engagement program structures.
• Sussex Police: Southern England police force covering East and West Sussex, with comparable coastal/urban/rural mix and similar scale. Operates the same statutory model with PCC governance and broadly aligned digital service platforms.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/aspolice
• Facebookfacebook.com/avonandsomersetpolice
• Instagraminstagram.com/aspolice
• TikToktiktok.com/@aspolice
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/avonandsomersetpolice

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Avon and Somerset Police