Reducing Bureaucracy in Policing - Home Office

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Recommendation: TECHNOLOGY 30. Exploit technology through incremental adoption & convergence of o national infrastructure o business led common processes o paperless case file o mobile data o digital recording of interviews. From a policing perspective the importance of the Information Systems Improvement Strategy (ISIS) cannot be overstated. Joined up technology with access to reliable information is the lifeblood of modern policing, bi-directional integration is complicated but necessary if information is to be shared. In reality ISIS has had a troubled life, not because the principle is wrong, but more because the complexity of the requirement, coupled with confused accountability makes it difficult to describe what it is and has the potential to be. The technical nature has also encouraged more decisions than operationally sensible to be made by IT Managers. Whilst forces are at different stages of their IT development, there is an operational requirement for a compatible and complimentary operating platform. Such is the benefit the Home Secretary will I believe need to mandate forces in this area. Several commercial companies are keen to provide the necessary operating platform albeit in slightly different formats. The service will need to agree its business need alongside what is affordable and agree a single way forward. Front line officers and staff emphasise the need for technology to support service delivery, not the other way around,. They do not see the need for local difference and their needs are simple; reliable information when and where needed, single sign-on, the ability to search across systems; and a requirement to enter information once only. All of these are ISIS standards but most officers do not have equipment or systems where these basic requirements are a reality. The discipline of mapping systems and processes for automation has enabled forces to better understand their systems and remove activity that adds no value. However, too many current police processes have been determined by the technology rather than policing need, this must be addressed in the interest of efficiency and cost. Business processes have grown exponentially over time with the point being reached today where many appear self serving and gridlocked, relying on each other and delivering dubious benefits. Project Athena brings together 9 forces to collaborate on what started as an IT project but has transformed into a programme that seeks to align business processes and increase efficiency and effectiveness to reduce IT costs. Considerable effort has gone into establishing optimum business processes for crime, intelligence, custody and case building. It will be important to ensure these processes flow and work in practice and are the most efficient ways of working to remove work of no value, rather than a consensus between collaborating forces. As systems become more integrated the potential for e-commerce opportunities is increased the service will want to ensure that e-commerce opportunities are approached in a coordinated fashion for the mutual benefit of all. 29
In my Interim and Full Report I have highlighted the potential of Mobile technology to reduce bureaucracy, increase efficiency and provide officers with immediate access to a range of tools and data without having to return to the station. Over the last two years, the Home Office invested more than £80 million providing mobile data units to front-line officers. The evaluation of this programme, which I recently contributed to will soon be published, it will be important to learn the lessons outlined and ensure that responsibility for the future development of mobile technology is incorporated with business need and not viewed separately. Most front-line officers do not have units that allow them access to the full range of databases and operational systems. Force policies determine what remote access officers will have. Some forces have surprisingly chosen to block officers use of PNC. Whilst it is not always operationally sensible to use mobile technology to undertake a PNC check, the facility should be made available. Likewise, most PDA’s have camera’s fitted and yet many forces are not using them. I have been made aware of numerous examples where early photographic evidence has been operationally vital. 30
Page 1: Final Report Jan Berry Reducing Bur
Page 4 and 5: Introduction Executive Summary Sir
Page 6 and 7: either over-engineered, duplicated
Page 8 and 9: � Remove duplication and over wor
Page 10 and 11: Recommendations: RISK (Good Decisio
Page 12 and 13: Over compensating for mistakes, par
Page 14 and 15: for the introduction of locally ele
Page 16 and 17: Added bureaucracy is created where
Page 18 and 19: CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT Becoming a L
Page 20 and 21: Recommendations: CRIMINAL JUSTICE S
Page 22 and 23: Options: Do nothing (NR) Verbal war
Page 24 and 25: Note - streamlined process should n
Page 26 and 27: Disclosure Recommendation 22 of Sir
Page 28 and 29: Crime & Incident Recording, Custody
Page 30 and 31: given to aligning recording and cha
Page 34 and 35: REDUCING BUREAUCRACY PRACTITIONERS

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