Licence to operate: What would it really mean to be a 007 today?

19th June 2026Kavitha Vipulananda, Strategy and reform consultant

The fictional assignments and adventures of James Bond sparked a lifelong interest in the workings of the real-life security and intelligence services for strategy and reform consultant Kavitha Vipulananda; but a closer look at what it would mean to be ‘007’ today highlights that a changing threat landscape, the advances of technology, and the importance of accountability make for a very different role and world than has ever been occupied by Ian Fleming’s hero.

To read this article you need to have an individual paid subscription or subscriber access via your organisation’s corporate subscription.

Please sign in to your account or subscribe to a plan below to read this article.

If your organisation has a corporate subscription please register a FREE account with your organisation email address for full subscriber access.

Email Address or Username:

Password:

Forgot password?

Having problems creating an account or can't sign in? Please e-mail [email protected]

Username: *

Email Address: *

Verify Email Address: *

Captcha: *

A registration to Policing Insight also registers you for access to sister site PolicingTV.

Receive the Policing Insight Weekly Digest Receive the Policing Insight Daily Brief (powered by Media Monitor) I would like to receive information and offers from carefully selected partners of Policing Insight and PolicingTV

Having problems creating an account or can't sign in? Please e-mail [email protected]

Licence to operate: What would it really mean to be a 007 today?

Request a password reset using the form below