Police IT criticised on compatibility

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The development of police computer systems has been slammed by a newreport.

The report, compiled by Sir Ronnie Flanagan, the Home Secretary's senior adviser on policing, laments the way computer systems have been developed on a "force only basis" with no thought towards compatibility with other systems nationwide.

"A sensible way forward is to develop minimum standards of functionality, and to prioritise new and developing IT in this regard," he says in the report.

"It remains frustrating how much 'double-keying' still goes on in forces, whose multiple systems still do not interact effectively within one force area, let alone between different forces.

"It would be a realistic and achievable aspiration to set a target date for all forces to ensure that data only has to be entered once into a computer system, and for any onward dissemination between systems to be done automatically."

Flanagan also recommends that by the summer of 2008 the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) investigate the possibility of using Airwave - the police radio system - to gather information on an officer's daily activities, which he claims will eliminate the need to fill out paper forms.

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