Met police slammed for using 750 'incompatible' IT systems
Britain's biggest police service is using a hodge-podge of 750 "incompatible" IT systems that prevents information being shared efficiently and acts as a serious drain on public resources, according to a new report.
Research published today by Reform, the public policy think-tank, pointed to the Metropolitan Police as a good example of a public body which is hamstrung by a muddled IT system assembled over decades.
It said the plethora of different IT systems meant that police often had to find and physically print documents to exchange information.
At a national level, the UK police force uses two different IT systems - the police national computer and the police national database - which are incompatible. Individual forces such as the Met use hundreds of others, further complicating their ability to process and share information efficiently, the report from Reform states.
The report claims this "prevents the provision of real through-the-gates services in the justice system".
The Metropolitan Police is understood to be working to resolve the issues and is investing heavily in new technology infrastructure.
The report from Reform states that whenever a crime is committed the details are gathered separately by the police, the Crown Prosecution Service, courts and prisons, leading to duplication of resources.
Twenty-three police forces now use NicheRMS, a software system that allows information to be shared more effectively. The City of London police is the latest to implement this new programme to ease the problem of processing data.
Pete Digby, who runs City of London Niche, says that this new system solves the issues of data duplication, processing delays and difficulties locating information for ongoing investigations.
The software helps police forces and other agencies to more easily share data on crime, cases, custody, intelligence, property and other information.
Mr Digby said City of London police spent £3.5m on the software.
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: "We are investing up to £100m per year in technology, transforming the Met so we can be more efficient, and providing new digital services.
"The Met strives to be a modern organisation using the most innovative, effective tools at our disposal in the fight against crime across the capital, whilst achieving maximum value for money."
There are plans for further steps to improve data sharing in the police force, but the broader challenge across the public sector means that there is "fragmentation" in the services offered to the general public.
Since 2016, the Met police has piloted body worn videos, rolled out new computers, deployed a new internet platform that allows the public to easily report crime, and has started a process to put in placed an integrated policing platform.
The report also focuses on healthcare, claiming that data shared digitally between GPs and hospitals can enable early identification of patients most at risk of hospital admission, which has reduced admissions by up to 30pc in Somerset.
The report claims the Government has not yet created a clear data infrastructure to allow data to be shared across multiple public services, meaning efforts on the ground have not always delivered results.
