Transformation sends ICT spend soaring
Police technology investment is set to reach unprecedented levels in 2015/16 according to the latest Police Market Report analysis as forces plough ahead with business transformation.
Police technology investment is set to reach unprecedented levels in 2015/16 according to the latest Police Market Report analysis as forces plough ahead with business transformation.
It says a record £446 million in technology capital spend is planned for the new 2015/16 financial year set against a five per cent year-on-year fall in overall spending.
The figures have been put together in a spreadsheet analysis by the specialist newsletter Police Market Report. It finds managers are using reserves and borrowing to invest in technology, which will deliver more with less in years ahead.
Mobile working and cross-border collaboration feature strongly in plans, which show a corresponding rise in infrastructure investment.
The report says earlier ICT (information and communications technology) alliances are being joined by newer force tie-ups, with joint ANPR (automatic numberplate recognition), call handling and back office facilities planned.
The five-year Police Market Report analysis is summarised in the chart above right. It shows technology spend rise as police grant, the main source of central funding, fell by £470 million over the same period a 20 per cent cut in real terms.
The figures do not include the next round of the Governments Police Innovation Funding (see p7), which will add a further £70 million to several ambitious collaborative plans.
The Metropolitan Police Service takes a larger than usual slice of overall investment, falling just short of 50 per cent, as its Total Technology ICT overhaul forges ahead.
John Rowland, Police Market Report editor, commented: Theres a lot of work going on to make sure business processes dovetail with technology. Theres no room for anything that does not deliver savings.
There is still an element of uncertainty about the Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme (ESMCP). The replacement for the Airwave Tetra radio system isnt a done deal yet and things may change if there is a change of government in May. The Airwave replacement, whatever form it takes, will feature heavily in future spending plans.
For further information contact reports@policemarketreport.co.uk or visit www.policemarketreport.co.uk
