Police Scotland: ‘integration of ICT is a work in progress’

Concerns that it will take time for the separate computer systems of the eight Scottish forces to be merged under the new single service have been played down by the chair of the Scottish Police Authority, Vic Emery OBE, following the launch of Police Scotland on April 1.

He was responding to comments made by Labour MSP Graeme Pearson, the former director general of the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency, that “to proceed with the biggest reform in policing in hundreds of years without a single IT system is beyond belief”.

Mr Pearson told the Scottish Sun newspaper: “Modern policing is all about using information and intelligence, as it enables officers to respond quickly, often knowing in seconds what problem they face.

With communications systems not linked up, that advantage is lost and could have a serious effect on officers’ ability to do their jobs.”

However, in a letter to Scottish newspapers The Herald and The Scotsman, Mr Emery said: “I read with interest comments made by Graeme Pearson in which he highlights the fundamental importance of an integrated ICT system to unlocking the benefits of the new single police service.

“I agree with him, but as he knows, it was never planned for this to be the position on day one of the new service. I also believe it is important that in highlighting the integration of ICT as a work in progress, we do not unnecessarily leave an impression that the public, or indeed police officers themselves, are being put at risk by this position.”

He said that Scottish police forces had been working on sharing data and systems on a national basis for more than a decade. A number of key databases, such as the Criminal History System, the Scottish Intelligence Database, the Automatic Number Plate Recognition system and the Violent and Sexual Offender Register were all accessible to officers across the country.

“Where tried and tested systems are in place, for example in command and control, they are being maintained on a ‘business as usual’ basis to minimise the risk of any disruption,” wrote Mr Emery.

“That does involves multiple systems but still allows senior officers to deploy their resources in an effective and joined-up way. Officers in Tayside and Highland regions are experienced in using systems to deal with incidents on the A9, which runs through both their territorial areas, and they will operate just as effectively under the new service.”

He said the significant programme of ICT that was needed for day one was agreed and delivered in close consultation with the police, for example a single public-facing website for Police Scotland. Police officers and staff had all the systems at their disposal that they needed to do their jobs.

Mr Emery added: “Of course we want to see further improvements – but on a phased basis and where there is a carefully thought-out strategy. April 1, 2013, represents the start of the process of technology reform – not the end. There are literally hundreds of different elements of hardware and software to rationalise and an ongoing need to invest in the basic infrastructure to ensure that we have continuity of service and resilience.

“Both the public and private sector are littered with examples of technology projects which have not delivered what was originally promised and where the deployment of a red pen at an earlier stage would have avoided red faces – and wasted money – further down the line.

“We are determined to assess all the investment decisions required on ICT on the basis of achievability and affordability. Transforming police technology systems to unlock efficiencies and improve the effectiveness of policing is a longer-term project. How quickly that can be achieved is fundamentally dependent on the level of funding that can be made available and the future priorities that the police service of Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority agree. Politicians in Parliament are not divorced from the reality of that funding position, nor from