UK smartphone police project under fire

UK Press Association reports.

Just one in five forces have used the devices effectively, and not enough consideration was given to how they would be used, how much local spending was required, or how realistic deadlines were, according to a report from the National Audit Office (NAO).

The Guardian says the National Policing Improvement Agency was awarded £9 million in funding to manage the scheme. However, the NAO found it had not properly considered how forces would use the devices, nor the amount of local expenditure needed.

While the devices have enabled police officers to spend more time out of their stations, an estimated 18 minutes extra per shift, not all forces experienced significant process improvement.

According to the report, "the experience of implementing mobile technology reinforces the challenge of achieving convergence of ICT across 43 police forces, each with bespoke systems supporting individual business processes," Computerworld states.

The publication of the NAO report comes a day after it was reported that police forces were looking to place a transformation services framework agreement, worth up to £3.5 billion.