Meet the Hydrant Programme team- Angie Jones, Research and Analysis lead

Today we’d like to introduce you to Angie Jones, the National Research and Analysis Lead for the Hydrant Programme. Angie manages the largest team within the Hydrant programme, comprising of one Senior Researcher, a Senior Analyst, four Analysts and Five researchers.

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Angie began her career in policing in 2001 working for a police force and gaining experience in supporting different aspects of a range of investigations – from major crime and kidnappings to telecommunications, tactical intelligence, and strategic performance analysis. Angie then joined Operation Hydrant in 2015, when it was still very early days! She has been the National Research and Analysis lead for the last five years.

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When asked about a typical day in her department, Angie said:

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“A typical day begins with a manager meeting to discuss the previous 24 hours and any emerging issues. I then say a quick hello to my Senior Researcher and Analyst to ensure all is okay for the day ahead.

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Our priority sits with the data workstreams which involves the extraction, analysis, and research of data, and then collating it into reports for distribution. We work closely with Hydrant’s comms team to achieve this. My team are always searching for new ways to improve the understanding and presentation of our data and the information that we hold.

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Numbers are only powerful in the right hands, and this is a key focus for my team and I.

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We liaise regularly with stakeholders such as partner agencies and local force analysts, and deliver presentations to ensure that stakeholders understand the data we produce, and we understand the data they need from us.

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Currently, the team are working hard on our first-year reporting on group-based child sexual abuse and exploitation. ?Each quarter we have extraction, analysis and research to do, and the last quarter feels like only yesterday as we begin another. The time taken to manually combine, read and record this data is significant, so technology and how it can assist us in this is a priority for 2025.

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When we asked Angie about some of the challenges, she faces day to day she said:

“No day is ever the same- don’t plan- it will catch you out!”

She also shared the difficulties of making complicated, voluminous data understandable and concise. There is always a demand for the turnaround of work to be speedy, so ensuring her team has access to the best technology available is paramount to her.

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But Angie did say:

“There hasn’t been a challenge yet that has beaten us! We always make it work and find a solution, so we hit our targets. It’s amazing how much the ‘data community’ within policing and partner agencies all support and uplift one another every step of the way.”

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Angie notes the most rewarding part of her job is the work the team delivers. They design and implement data which answer questions that drive such an important part of the policing response to the exploitation and abuse of children. She feels that change is happening, and her team is being listened to and valued. Angie is also enormously proud of the work her team does to support all levels of government and policing to take steps towards preventing child sexual abuse and exploitation.

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Angie says that if she could go back to speak to herself on her first day at Hydrant, she would say ‘think before you commit to work’, and ‘not to be scared to say no sometimes’. She’d also say that at the end of the working day, leave work at work, and enjoy being at home.

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When Angie isn’t working, she enjoys cooking- hosting her friends and family, sitting around the table together and having a laugh. She also enjoys walking her dog Waffle and watching the flowers she plants bloom and grow.

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Who from the Hydrant team would you like to hear more about next?