Green sets out plans for private sector involvement in more flexible police ICT strategy

Home Office minister tells Reform 'the centralised, one-size-fits-all approach is a thing of the past'

Police ICT strategy should be less centralised, with individual forces able to deliver their own technological solutions, with the assistance of the private sector if need be.

That's what Home Office minister Damian Green told think tank Reform during a speech about restructuring the police force to make it more effective. Green told the audience that the police have already benefited from working with private firms.

"Private sector skills are also being sought out. Avon and Somerset Police has joined forces with local authorities and computer giant IBM to provide support services across the region, while Lincolnshire Police has saved money while still cutting crime through its partnership with G4S," he said, arguing that "the best of the public sector and private sector ethos is needed for effective policing".

Green told the audience that the government believes police ICT policy needs to cater for the different needs of different forces throughout the country.

"The centralised, one-size-fits-all approach is, except for the most critical national infrastructure, a thing of the past - because we all know that reaping the benefits from new technology requires as much change in officers and staff behaviour as it does new kit," he said.

"New technology needs to be tailored to local circumstances. But underpinning that localised approach should be clear ‘rules of the game'. We will do the boring bit by setting the technical standards and ensuring data is collected in compatible formats, and available to those who need it. And we'll make sure people know how to secure a larger range of devices for officers."

And while Green believes a more flexible ICT strategy is already improving the police, it represents just "the tip of the iceberg" and the pace of digital reforms must be increased and law enforcement must more quickly adapt to new technologies.

"Technology has transformed the way we live our lives, but it has not yet transformed the way the police do their jobs," said Green.

"Why is it that an officer at a social event can take a photo and upload it to the internet immediately, but when he is at work he has wait for a special camera to arrive to take the photo, travel back to the office, download it and copy it so that it is stored in three different files? It's a nonsense.

"In five years' time we need to look back and see this was the beginning of a technological revolution in policing. We could see pen and notebook replaced with voice recognition technology or manually sorting paper files replaced by automatic uploading to cloud storage."

Green added that The Police ICT Company will play a vital role in the transformation he's aiming for.

"Working with PCCs and forces, the company will act as the gateway to private sector expertise. It will help drive innovation and will bring forces together in making decisions on the best technology available to carry on driving down crime and boosting efficiency," he said.