The Assurance Desk
Police and fire IT systems must become much more secure, HMICFRS says
The inspectorate found old systems, gaps in supplier checks and backups, and leaders who do not treat cyber security as an everyday decision.
Data protection, AI governance and cyber security, explained in plain terms.
Dates ahead
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· UK
ICO call for evidence on agentic AI: Views close at the end of the day -
· EU
EU AI Act: New bans apply. Content tools already on the market must meet the marking duty -
· EU
EU AI Act: General-purpose AI models on the market before 2 August 2025 must comply. National AI sandboxes are due -
· EU
EU AI Act: The high-risk rules apply to AI listed in Annex III
Our research
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38 of 41
customer reviews we read mentioned guidance
Is Cyber Essentials worth it? What the evidence shows
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25
outsourced DPO providers in our review
Outsourced DPO services: what does the monthly fee buy?
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8 of 16
policy sets gave staff a clear way to report a mistake or concern
Does your AI policy answer everyday staff questions?
Expert views
We spend a lot of time asking what AI might do to us. We spend almost none asking what can be done to AI.
Alan Woodward LinkedIn post excerpt
Expert views: when attackers hijack AI models and agents
Tools and templates
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Can staff use your AI policy?
Work through one real task, find the answers and agree what happens next.
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Customer security questionnaire: template and example answers
Use a blank questionnaire and worked examples to prepare your next customer response.
Providers
We score every provider in the directory on the same six questions, using public sources.
Sources
- ICO, Agentic AI call for evidence, checked 21 October 2026
- EUR-Lex, Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 (Artificial Intelligence Act), consolidated text of 27 July 2026, checked 2 October 2026