Met Police seek new command and control system

The Metropolitan Police Authority is pushing ahead with its search for a new outsourcing partner to provide a new command and control system for handling incoming calls, dealing with incidents and assigning officers.

The Met wants a system that can handle up to 2,600 calls an hour by a group of up to 400 operators and could be prepared to offer a 17-year contract to the successful bidder.

The so-called Command and Control Futures programme, which will manage all incoming, emergency, non-emergency and internal calls, will be operated under two contracts – one overseeing the development of the new system, the other the transition and systems integration from the existing contract.

The Met envisages that the new system could incorporate technologies such as voice and CCTV feeds, in-car devices and mobile telemetry. Other emergency service organisations could also join the scheme.

A conference for potentials bidders will take place in London on 18 October.

Earlier this week, the Home Affairs select committee criticised the UK police’s use of IT, arguing that fragmentation of systems and contracts meant that the £1.2bn spent by the police on IT each year did not represent good value for money.