Hampshire police pilots information management

Police have to follow guidelines on information management

Hampshire Constabulary is running a pilot document and records management project to improve efficiency and comply with Management of Police Information (MoPI) guidelines.

The police force currently has a manual approach to records management and is looking at how it can improve the process by using Microsoft Office SharePoint Server.

The MoPI guidelines were put in place in July 2005 to ensure there is consistency between police forces in the way information is managed and shared.

They call for information to be relevant and accessible, and require all operational information to be recorded, reviewed, shared and deleted on a consistent basis across the entire police service.

Chief Inspector Chris Jones, head of information management at Hampshire Constabulary, says getting to grips with the volume of information and automating data management processes are central to helping improve the ability of officers and staff to make informed decisions.

‘We want to have the ability, in as transparent a way as possible, to capture what the user is doing in accordance with the Police Service File Plan,’ said Jones.

The force created a set of scenarios for SharePoint to manage - for example managing executive-level meetings via a template rather than running meetings via email.

‘We are trying to work as smart as we can and the new system enables us to better manage content and improve workflow,’ said Jones.

The force is now mapping its processes with a user community of 20 from the deputy chief constable to administrative support staff.

‘We must understand the best way to carry out a wide-scale implementation,’ said Jones.

Benefits include the savings of moving files contained within 19,000 boxes to electronic form.

‘The complexity comes in measuring efficiency savings. With each business area we are asking them to measure how long managing information takes now, so we can compare later,’ said Jones.