Public Sector Roundup: Wales saves on IT

Online auction saves Wales £6 million on IT equipment

The Welsh public sector could save 39 per cent - as much as £6 million a year - on IT equipment, following an online auction where suppliers bid to be part of a procurement framework.

Welsh Assembly Government minister for finance and public service delivery Andrew Davies said: "This new agreement is going to make a big difference to organisations all over Wales, from the largest local authorities, through to the smallest primary school."

But framework places weren't just awarded on price - all equipment must be Energy Star compliant as well. Quality, service and the ethical issues such as use of recycled materials and careful watch of supply chains were also considered.

Socitm accepting entries for public sector ICT travel award

The Society of Information Technology Management (Socitm) is looking for entries for its Graham Williamson Challenge. Named in honour of a Socitm member who died in a motorcycle accident in 2000, the award funds travel for an early-career local government ICT professional, letting them take work experience abroad.

Last year's winner, Clare Forbes from Hampshire County Council, headed to California for a month to work with state IT managers there. Details from her trip can be found on her blog.

Entries for the contest are due September 14. Details are available on the Socitm website.

North Watford to fight burglary with microparticles

Hertfordshire Constabulary is piloting a high-tech burglary reduction scheme in North Watford. Encrypted microparticles will be used to mark people's property for later identification.

The thousand participants will be given a bottle of the enigmaTag microparticles and told to paint a small amount onto valuables - anything from computers to jewellery. The marked belongings will be entered into asset management website MyThings as well as on a central police database, which will be tied to handheld scanners, letting officers return recovered stolen goods to their owners.

Principal Scenes of Crime Officer, Doug Bain, who is managing the trial, said in a statement: "It's a really simple scheme for householders to participate in and has the potential to offer major benefits in terms of burglary prevention. Our pilot is the first implementation of its kind in the UK and we've worked with the product owners to evolve an evidential system which will assist us in realising what we hope will be a significant reduction in burglaries in the trial area as a direct result."

Wandsworth's CCTV gets moving

Wandsworth Borough Council has begun using mobile CCTV to battle crime. The £50,000 unit will be staffed by police officers and can hook up to live feeds from other cameras in the area.

The council's executive member for regeneration and community safety councillor James Cousins said in a statement: "This hi-tech unit will give the police a much greater ability to focus very closely on areas that may be causing them temporary or intermittent concern... It can also be deployed to very precise locations to help combat the kind of quality of life issues that might not warrant a permanent camera."

Wandsworth already has over 1,000 CCTV cameras, which local police officers said provide evidence for half the cases they bring to court.

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