MANCHESTER, England--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan 23, 2026--
Mark43 proudly hosted the Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham and Deputy Mayor Kate Green with Deputy Chief Constable of GMP Terry Woods and senior leaders from Greater Manchester Police (GMP) at its new Manchester offices on Monday 19 January 2026. The visit underscores Mark43’s significant commitment to the region, choosing Manchester as the home of its first UK base.
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Mark43 meets with the Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester and Greater Manchester Police leaders.
Mark43, the supplier appointed by GMP to deliver a new Records Management System (RMS), has established a growing local team of more than 20 employees, with further recruitment underway to expand its pool of technology and policing experts from across Greater Manchester. In addition, Mark43 will soon launch an apprenticeship programme focused on developing technical skills in AI and cloud-based software skills and data science to enable police operations to enhance efficiency, effectiveness, and public safety.
Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said: “Mark43 choosing Greater Manchester for their UK headquarters is a strong vote of confidence in our city region and its future. Having a permanent technology base here will support the ongoing transformation of policing in Greater Manchester and bring high-value jobs and new opportunities for apprenticeships and training.
“We are the UK’s leading digital and data-driven city region, with the skills, infrastructure, and ambition that international technology companies are looking for. This is exactly the kind of investment that will help drive our economy forward and modernise policing for the benefit of our communities.”
Matt Polega, Co-founder, President, and Managing Director, UK, added: “It was a privilege to welcome the Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester, along with senior management from Greater Manchester Police to our Manchester office. Our partnership with GMP is grounded in a shared commitment to delivering the very best technology for policing, developed in close collaboration with the officers and staff who rely on it every day.
“Manchester is a natural home for Mark43 in the UK. The city has a strong public service tradition, exceptional talent, and a growing technology ecosystem. We are proud to be investing here, expanding our presence, and building long-term partnerships that support UK policing while contributing to economic growth across the region. By working together, we can ensure police forces have access to modern, resilient technology that helps them protect and serve the public.”
Assistant Chief Officer Dougie Henderson, GMP’s IT and Digital Portfolio Lead, said: "GMP has made a significant financial commitment to Mark43, working with them to deliver our new RMS, and it’s reassuring to see that commitment echoed in their decision to base themselves in Manchester.
“I am delighted that Mark43 has embraced Manchester, supporting the local economy, creating jobs, and furthering Greater Manchester’s ambition as a global digital hub. We have a considerable amount of work ahead to achieve everything we need with the new RMS, and having Mark43 on our doorstep, both now and after we go live, will be fantastic and a very valuable resource.”
The visit included a tour of the new offices, meetings with staff, and an update on the progress of GMP’s new RMS, which is scheduled to go live in Spring 2027.
About Mark43
Mark43 brings modern technology to public safety, helping policing and emergency services work faster, smarter, and keep communities safer. Its integrated Records Management, Command & Control, and Data Analytics solutions form a unified, real-time platform that streamlines workflows and improves response times. Trusted by more than 300 agencies across the UK and U.S., Mark43’s cloud-native platform equips public safety professionals with innovative tools, AI capabilities, and a robust cybersecurity foundation to help agencies meet the challenges of today and tomorrow. Visit www.mark43.com.
Mark43 Co-Founder, President and Managing Director, UK, greets Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham.
Mark43 hosts Greater Manchester Combined Authority and Greater Manchester Police leaders.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The toll in Iran's bloody crackdown on nationwide protests has reached at least 5,002 people killed, activists said Friday, warning many more were feared dead as the most comprehensive internet blackout in the country's history crossed the two-week mark.
The challenge in getting information out of Iran persists because of authorities cutting off access to the internet on Jan. 8, even as tensions rise between the United States and Iran as an American aircraft carrier group moves closer to the Middle East. U.S. President Donald Trump likened the carrier group to an “armada” in comments to journalists late Thursday.
Analysts say a military buildup could give Trump the option to carry out strikes, though so far he's avoided that despite repeated warnings to Tehran. Meanwhile, Iran's top prosecutor denied a claim by Trump that his intervention so far had halted the execution of 800 prisoners detained in the demonstrations, calling his comments “completely false.”
“While President Trump now appears to have backtracked, likely under pressure from regional leaders and cognizant that airstrikes alone would be insufficient to implode the regime, military assets continue to be moved into the region, indicating kinetic action may still happen,” a New York-based think tank called the Soufan Center said in an analysis Friday.
The latest death toll was given by the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which reported that 4,716 were demonstrators, 203 were government-affiliated, 43 were children and 40 were civilians not taking part in the protests. It added that more than 26,800 people had been detained in a widening arrest campaign by authorities.
The group's figures have been accurate in previous unrest in Iran and rely on a network of activists in Iran to verify deaths. That death toll exceeds that of any other round of protest or unrest in Iran in decades, and recalls the chaos surrounding Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Iran’s government offered its first death toll Wednesday, saying 3,117 people were killed. It added that 2,427 of the dead in the demonstrations that began Dec. 28 were civilians and security forces, with the rest being “terrorists.” In the past, Iran’s theocracy has undercounted or not reported fatalities from unrest.
The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the death toll, in part because of authorities cutting access to the internet and blocking international calls into the country. Iran also reportedly has limited journalists’ ability locally to report on the aftermath, instead repeatedly airing claims on state television that refer to demonstrators as “rioters” motivated by the United States and Israel, without offering evidence to support the allegation.
The new toll comes as tensions remain high over Trump laying down two red lines over the protests — the killing of peaceful demonstrators and Tehran conducting mass executions. Iran’s attorney general and others have called some of those being held “mohareb” — or “enemies of God.” That charge carries the death penalty. It had been used along with others to carry out mass executions in 1988 that reportedly killed at least 5,000 people.
Trump has repeatedly said Iran halted the execution of 800 people detained in the protests, without elaborating on the source of the claim. On Friday, Iran's top prosecutor Mohammad Movahedi strongly denied that in comments carried by the judiciary's Mizan news agency.
“This claim is completely false; no such number exists, nor has the judiciary made any such decision,” Movahedi said.
His remarks suggested that Iran's Foreign Ministry, led by Abbas Araghchi, may have offered that figure to Trump. Araghchi has had a direct line to U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and conducted multiple rounds of negotiations over Iran's nuclear program with him.
“We have a separation of powers, the responsibilities of each institution are clearly defined, and we do not, under any circumstances, take instructions from foreign powers,” Movahedi said.
The American military meanwhile has moved more military assets toward the Mideast, including the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and associated warships traveling with it from the South China Sea.
A U.S. Navy official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military movements, said Thursday that the Lincoln strike group is in the Indian Ocean.
Trump said Thursday aboard Air Force One that the U.S. is moving the ships toward Iran “just in case” he wants to take action.
“We have a massive fleet heading in that direction and maybe we won’t have to use it,” Trump said.
Trump also mentioned the multiple rounds of talks that American officials had with Iran over its nuclear program prior to Israel launching a 12-day war against the Islamic Republic in June, which saw U.S. warplanes bomb Iranian nuclear sites. He threatened Iran with military action that would make earlier U.S. strikes against its uranium enrichment sites “look like peanuts.”
“They should have made a deal before we hit them,” Trump said.
The U.K. Defense Ministry separately said that its joint Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jet squadron with Qatar, 12 Squadron, “deployed to the (Persian) Gulf for defensive purposes noting regional tensions.”
Iran commemorated “the Day of the Guardian” on Friday, an annual event for its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, which was key in putting down the nationwide protests.
To mark the day, an Iranian state television channel aired a typically religious talk show that instead saw its cleric and prayer singers look at Iranian military drones. They fired up the engines of several of the Shahid drones, one of which has been used extensively by Russia in its war on Ukraine.
A man identified as a member of the security forces, who wore a surgical mask and sunglasses during the telecast to hide his identity, also made a threat in mangled Hebrew toward Israel, trying to say: “We are closer to you than you think.”
Konstantin Toropin in Washington, and Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel, contributed to this report.
In this photo released by an official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks in a meeting, in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)
People walk at Tehran's historic Grand Bazaar, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026, in Iran. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
People walk at Tehran's historic Grand Bazaar, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026, in Iran. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
