The role and work of the Directorate of Information (DoI)

Report: 10
Date: 31 January 2008
By: Director of Information on behalf of the Commissione

Summary

The Metropolitan Police Authority has requested bi-annual reports on the work of all Metropolitan Police Service Business Groups. This report, the first such submission from the Directorate of Information, provides an overview the role it performs, how it supports front line policing, and how it contributes to the corporate strategic priorities.

A. Recommendation

That the report be received.

B. Supporting information

1. The Directorate of Information (DoI) has been established for over seven years. It has thematic responsibility, within the MPS, for all aspects of information, communications and technology (ICT). The DoI governs the use and development of information and technology and leads improvements in these areas. It also delivers technology-enabled change and ensures appropriately robust, secure and fit for purpose technology systems and infrastructure.

2. Through the delivery of information, communications and technology services the DoI provides a modern information and technology infrastructure that supports MPS staff and officers to deliver MPS objectives.

3. The DoI works together with all business areas in the MPS to provide advice, guidance, subject matter expertise and support to develop Information, Communications and Technology solutions that improve performance and modernise the service.

4. One particular business challenge for the DoI is the need to reduce the inefficiencies around multiple points of data capture and entry and create consistency in the way information is captured. Better quality information will mean faster decision-making, saving the organisation both time and money, which can then be invested into policing and to making London safer.

5. Information is critical to policing. Currently police officers and staff are required to capture and manage a vast amount of information and to record or find this information in silo IT systems.

6. It is our long-term plan to create a unified information infrastructure and single information portal through which all staff can retrieve relevant and role specific information. This will reduce the need to re-key information and enable information to be re-used throughout the policing process. Trusted information will flow quickly and accurately to the officers and staff who need it – wherever and whenever they need it.

7. This is a complex challenge that will be completed in stages over the next 5-10 years. A detailed plan of how we will achieve this goal is currently being developed, but, most importantly, work has already started. For example the rollout of Single-Sign-On (SSO) has significantly reduced the time, and re-keying that goes into logging on to multiple systems. We have also introduced the Corporate Data Warehouse to allow staff to search for information across multiple systems.

8. As we continue to develop new solutions, exploit new technology and review operational business processes to work towards meeting this goal we will continue to provide 24/7/365 ICT services that protect the resilience and responsiveness of the MPS and manage key future events such as the Olympics.

9. The key business drivers for the DoI are the MPS strategic priorities and the changing nature of technology and its actual and potential impact on MPS staff, citizens of London, criminals. External drivers include national policing and government initiatives such as the Bichard Inquiry and the Flanagan review.

10. To move towards the future desired state outlined above the DoI is focusing on six strategic objectives for 2007/8. These are:

• Getting closer to our customers
• Building a high performance workforce
• Improving the quality of our information
• Delivering programmes and services
• Developing the IT platform for the future
• Improving our efficiency and effectiveness

11. These strategic objectives allow us to continue to meet current requirements and demands while proactively pursuing an improvement and modernisation agenda.

DoI Business Groups

12. The Directorate’s seven groups have diverse but collective areas of responsibility with regard to information and technology.

13. Service Delivery Group – are responsible for the delivery of reliable and secure Information, Communications and Technology (ICT) services through a number of key service suppliers including Capgemini, Unisys and Arqiva and national services like Airwave, Holmes and NSPIS. SDG are also responsible for the internal management of services for secure IT applications. Their central purpose is to manage internal and external service provision and ensure performance levels meet the required standards. Successful operational policing depends on reliable technology systems and SDG are central to ensuring our ICT systems and services are available to staff and officers 24/7/365. This includes around 30,000 desktops and laptops, 38,000 telephone extensions, 15,000 mobile phones, 40,000 Airwave radios, 1800 in-vehicle mobile data terminals, Integrated Communications Control System (ICCS) terminals and 999 services and support MPS software applications.

14. Information Management Group – lead in the delivery of strategy, policy and standards for information management in the MPS and is central to ensuring our information assets are secure. Information is the life-blood of policing, so it is vital we ensure MPS information is trusted, accessible and usable. The Group Director is also responsible for the Information Quality Portfolio which consists of 10 projects that are providing and improving technical solutions, policy and processes and crucially also changing behaviour, attitudes and the general MPS culture around the recording, finding, sharing and disposing of information.

15. The Policing Systems Data Quality Improvement Programme, is a 3 year programme that the DoI is implementing to bring sustainable and continuous improvements to the quality of police data. The initial work of the programme has been to concentrate efforts on improving data quality on the CRIS system but detailed analysis has also taken place on both the NSPIS Custody and STOPS systems. Over the course of the next few months the programme will introduce a system of management reports, delivered to BOCU SMTs, which will highlight data quality problems in the most important operational data. In addition, daily exception reports sent to CMUs and other units responsible for data entry will identify suspect records so that they can be corrected in a timely fashion. Where possible we will cross-reference with other systems to suggest the correct values and save officer time in looking up information. These activities will be supported by an ongoing programme to identify and promulgate good practice and embed it into local business processes. We have developed this programme in close co-operation with TP who are sponsoring this activity.

16. The Information Assurance Unit within the Group provides security accreditation services for all DoI projects to identify risks to MPS information assets. The security accreditation process requires that appropriate security measures are implemented to mitigate those risks or, that they are properly managed. The Group also receives reports on security incidents within the MPS, ensuring that incidents are dealt with, that any necessary remedial action is taken, and opportunities for organisational learning are taken.

17. IMG also delivers services directly to the public. These include managing and developing the Met's largest front counter, its website, and processing Data Protection and Freedom of Information requests.

18. Business Systems and Integration Group - are responsible for developing and implementing an approved portfolio of programmes and projects to deliver the expected business benefits and to enhance the capability of the MPS to fulfil its operational duties. The group is currently managing more than 100 projects and programmes sponsored by the MPS, delivering ICT solutions to support operational needs, strategic priorities and improve or upgrade current systems and infrastructure.

19. Business Services and IT Training Group – consists of a number of branches that provide DoI with Human Resources (HR), Training and Development, Finance and Resource Management, Quality and Performance Services. The group also leads on IT Training for the MPS to support police officers and staff across the MPS. This includes the provision of e-learning facilities and is critical to ensuring the effective use of our IT systems throughout the MPS.

20. Strategy, Programmes and Co-ordination Group - ensures DoI strategies and activities support the MPS corporate and policing aims. Through the Programme Management Office, Business Development Office and Benefits Management teams the group steers, maintains and prioritises the portfolio of ICT programmes and projects the Directorate undertakes. SPC also includes the Management of Police Information (MoPI), which leads the portfolio of work to respond to the recommendations made in the Bichard Enquiry. The group are linked to the national MoPI programme and the Home Office backed IMPACT programme and have the responsibility of supporting the MPS in achieving compliance with the MoPI Guidance and Force Action Plan by December 2010. The Group Director is also Deputy Director of Information.

21. Technology Group – provides systems and equipment to directly support police operations, covert policing and intelligence gathering, in areas such as counter-terrorism, serious crime and high profile public-order events. They also provide and deliver internationally recognised in-house facilities and outsourced services to examine high-tech electronic devices through our audio, computer, telephone and video laboratories. In addition to direct operational support the group’s work also involves development, management and implementation of ICT Strategies, Architectures and Standards, implementation of major infrastructure projects, provision of Technical Design Authority and technical consultancy and the investigation of emerging technologies and how these can be applied to meet the needs of the front line.

22. Command and Control User Services – provides the user interface for technologies that support the MPS response policing activity. This interface covers the systems that enable communication, call-handling, resource management and deployment, data collection and processing as well as providing user support. This group has four key areas of activity to supply operational expertise to technical colleagues and suppliers; to provide support for non-technical users; to involve client groups like Communications Command and Control (CCC) in system development and delivery; and to embed business change required by new technology into the MPS way of doing business.

23. DoI employs over 720 police staff and nearly 85 police officers, plus a varying number of contractors and consultants. A break down of employees numbers and budget for each group can be seen below:

*capitalisation of staff costs

Table 1:Break down of DoI employee numbers and budget by group

Delivering MPS strategic priorities

4. The Directorate of Information is responsible for leading the delivery of one of the seven MPS strategic priorities, Information Quality, and directly supporting the other six. Information Quality is providing and improving technical solutions, policy and processes but crucially is also changing behaviour, attitudes and the general MPS culture around the recording, finding, sharing and disposing of information.

25. To support the MPS to deliver Safer Neighbourhoods, Counter-Terrorism and Security, Criminal Networks, Citizen Focus, Together and Capital City policing the DoI needs to be responsive and flexible while maintaining an overall view on the ICT environment and future vision.

26. To help ensure a more robust planning process DoI staff work with all areas of the MPS to identify emerging new information requirements at the earliest stage possible. Requirements are then prioritised in terms of potential financial savings and performance improvements for the MPS, as well as their contribution to corporate and modernisation objectives. In 2006/2007 alone over 200 requirements were received from MPS business groups.

27. The process, which is part of the Capital Planning Programme, allows for more accurate planning against the annual budget. It also gives the DoI a much-improved ability to plan the allocation of people to projects over the next 12 months, and ultimately helps us to forecast, with greater accuracy, when new products and services will be implemented.

28. The DoI, through its development of Senior and Line Managers, has supported the Together approach. Its development programmes for these groups have made extensive use of action learning sets comprising multi-disciplinary teams from around the DoI, breaking down siloed ways of working. In addition, the Technology Group have introduced SharePoint, a collaborative tool, which helps colleagues to share information and work together more effectively.

29. The information sharing support unit supports Crime & Disorder Reduction Partnerships (CDRPs) by providing guidance and assistance to practitioners who need to share information with other agencies.

30. The DoI is carrying out work on the corporate secure network - which will bring together the current information silos and business processes within SCD (MIB) and SO (CTC) onto a common platform at SECRET and TOP SECRET.

31. Over the last 18 months, DoI’s Volume Crime and Protection (VCP) team has deployed asset location technology to target theft of valuable and attractive items such as sat navs, bicycles, laptops etc. Boroughs who have used the service have indicated that this tactic results in a significant reduction in crime in the targeted areas. As a result, many boroughs are seeking to equip themselves with their own in-house capability. VCP have developed a devolved solution to enable boroughs to do this.

Supporting MPS Modernisation

32. The demands for instant access to information, legislative compliance and emerging technologies have made Information Quality an important part of the Met Modernisation Programme. Our vision for this portfolio of work is based on a responsive 21st century police service, which optimises information to prevent crime and protect and inform the people of London. By pursuing this vision the DoI will make a real difference to policing outcomes. Better quality information will mean faster decision-making, bringing more offenders to justice, reducing risk to officers and saving the organisation both time and money, which can then be re-invested into policing to making London even safer.

33. The DoI led on the C3i Programme, part of the Met modernisation programme, which was successfully delivered on 30th November 2007.

34. In addition it supports several other elements of the Met Modernisation Programme, including:

• Safer Neighbourhoods: Providing the infrastructure and IT to equip safer neighbourhoods teams
• Intelligence Covert Policing: Delivering IT systems to enable Intelligence Covert Policing and Tasking
• Transforming HR: Delivering ICT systems and infrastructure changes which underpin the transforming HR programme
• Olympics: Planning and delivery the ICT required to support the policing and security at the Olympics

35. Last year the DoI introduced a single password sign on for 7 MPS core systems. This year a further 6 applications have already been added with more planned later in the year. Single Sign On saves officer time, reduces the amount of re-keying and enhances security.

36. This year we have completed the transfer of all 32 boroughs into three purpose built call-handling sites at Hendon, Bow and Lambeth – a significant element of the C3i programme. As a result of moving the borough control room into these centres we are seeing a 16% increase in calls. This means 16% more people can now get through to us and consequently makes us a more accessible organisation.

37. Work had been ongoing to bring operational data in a single search facility IIP through the Corporate Data Warehouse programme. 3000 officers in the intelligence community are now able to use the search facility and work is continuing to extend this to 7000 officers by the end of the year.

38. In May 2007 the MPS successfully met the initial standards specified by the Home Office for phase 1 of the Management of Police Information programme (MOPI), in response to recommendations from the Bichard Enquiry. The MOPI programme is progressing solutions to achieve full compliance by 2010.

39. The MPS intranet is one of the most important systems the Directorate of Information manages. As a key communication channel it handles more than 1.3 million individual page views each week. Earlier in the year the MPS intranet system (Nexus) was successfully migrated to one of the Met’s new data centres - as part of a data centre migration project - and simultaneously upgraded to improve the search facility.

40. Since April 2007 the DoI has made considerable progress in rolling out mobile technology to the MPS. The Email on the Move (EOM) pilot, which enables staff to receive and respond to emails via a mobile device whilst away from the office, has been extended until July 2008 with a further 50 users added to the study. In 2008 EOM will become available via the DoI IT catalogue and the pilot will be phased out.

41. The DoI is helping Safer Neighbourhoods (SN) teams fight mobile phone crime by providing teams with laptops to gather mobile phone information for a national register. This information can then be cross-matched with recovered property in the event that the phone is stolen. SN teams are taking the laptops to schools, universities and public places, such as shopping centres, to capture as much information as possible.

Performance

42. Since April 2007 we have answered more than 1750 data protection requests from the public alongside more than 1400 Freedom of Information requests

43. The IT Training school delivers over 2400 IT training days and provides access to e-learning to over 5000 staff and officers each month

44. Through work to ensure the security of our Network and compliance with MPS information policy more than 11,000 emails that have been logged by our Secure External Gateway are reviewed each month.

45. The DoI Service Desk provides all MPS users with 24/7/365 ICT support and manages an average of 44,000 calls every month. The Service Desk is the DoI’s front-line response to ICT issues and helps ensure MPS staff has access to the systems they need, can purchase IT related equipment and can get assistance on and resolution to ICT issues.

46. The DoI has seen an average reliability of 99.8% for telephony, 99 .8% for Airwave, 99.5% for Met Radio and 99.9% email services and 99.9% for the Met’s crime reporting system (CRIS) since April 2007.

47. The Technology Group’s Surveillance Team provides an average of 2000 hours front-line operational technical support each month to the Technical Support Unit -SCD 11(2). SCD11 can call on this support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

48. In the last 6 months, Overt Operations were also requested to provide 79 projection systems and 76 audio PA systems for operational use and also catered for 49 loans (camcorders, videos, etc). A total of 204 jobs.

49. Since the start of the financial year DoI’s Operations, Evidential Services have seen a 22% increase in the number of high-tech evidential submission they receive. More than 5800 submissions have been received and processed either in-house or through specialist outsource providers (1 April – 31st August). Submissions range in size from just a few exhibits to hundreds and cover all disciplines (audio, video, phone, and computer). Submissions to the computer lab alone have risen by 31% against last year.

50. Persons under threat from intimidation or violence often require round the clock protection. In support of this, the Technology Group’s, Volume Crime and Protection team provides specialised electronic security equipment reporting directly into Central Communications Command. Working closely with the Borough Community Safety Units (CSU) this service offers support and reassurance to the public without long term dedicated personnel. The service also includes protection of witnesses and informants under the control of the Criminal Justice Protection Unit SO6. In August 2007 the team provided more than 600 vulnerable personal alarms.

51. The Overt Operations team provides support for a wide range of events, e.g. Concerts, Demonstrations, Town Shows, Festivals, as well as Security Operations. From April this year the team have supported 156 overt CCTV operations (to August 2007). A CCTV operation ranges from a one-camera deployment through to 59 camera feeds or more for events like Notting Hill Carnival. For example 17 staff supported the Tour de France Cycle Race by providing CCTV coverage and helicopter video down-linking in London, Canterbury and at the Kent Police headquarters. 30 staff supported the Red Bull Air Race and provided live video up-linking to the helicopter from the Police Launch for rapid incident response.

52. Support for Operation Seagram dominated recent activities for the OES video laboratory with the Mobile Video Laboratories being deployed to Scotland and Stoke. In excess of 6000 exhibits have been sent for analysis so far.

53. Technology Group’s Specialist Search and Technical support team provides SO13 and other Search related departments with 24 hours a day, 7 days a week support. An average of 15 operations a month are currently being supported.

Supporting the front line

54. The DoI is helping officers to bring criminals to justice more quickly and track Prolific and other Priority Offenders (PPOs) more easily through the introduction of the Prisoner Intelligence Notification System (PINS). This new database holds details of all prison inmates nationwide. It allows staff and officers to carry out searches which would previously have been carried out by the Prisoner Location Service and taken up to eight days to complete. PINS has also been incorporated as part of the Corporate Data Warehouse, which itself saves officer time by joining Met IT systems together.

55. DoI has been working in partnership with TP Emerald to rollout NSPIS Custody to 23 boroughs and NSPIS Case Preparation to 10 boroughs to date. The Custody system directly populates the Police National Computer (PNC) reducing the amount of re-keying required and automatically generates an Arrest Summons (AS) number reducing saving officer time.

56. The DoI is using a new piece of equipment, know as Archangel, to restore precious video evidence to its original condition and help bring criminals to justice. Archangel can achieve a level of restoration previously only attained through laborious and time-consuming procedures. This equipment has been recently used to support SO15.

57. The DoI has upgraded the secure ICT infrastructure used by Counter Terrorism Command (CTC) to provide 10 times faster connectivity to users. SKY, which links a growing number of CTC remote sites to NSY, can be used for Internet telephony and to process data with protective markings of Restricted, Confidential or Secret. It will soon be upgraded further to allow the transmission of CCTV footage.

58. Broadband upgrades were also completed for staff at 160 sites across the Met, including some Safer Neighbourhood bases. The staff and officers are now able to access the MPS network much faster.

59. Work carried out by the DoI in partnership with the Air Support Unit (ASU) is helping officers to collect higher-quality evidence and provide more effective command and control. Each helicopter boasts a state-of-the-art digital video recording system, an uplink and downlink system, which transmits images and audio of near broadcast quality over ranges never achieved before. The three helicopters, which are the most technologically advanced police helicopters in the world, are being used to support major Public Order events within the capital such as the Notting Hill Carnival, Trooping of the Colour and New Year’s Eve celebrations.

C. Race and equality impact

1. The Director of Information and her senior management team are committed to ensuring that the Directorate responds to the diverse needs of individuals working within it and we promote diversity to change culture and drive performance.

2. 28% of DoI staff and officers are female; this is a 2% decline from last year. The proportion of BME staff and officers currently stands at 15%. This is a 2% decrease from last year of DoI staff and officers.

3. Women and BME staff are underrepresented in the DoI and we are committed to achieving a more representative workforce. DoI, taking the lead from HR and our Diversity Forum, continues to examine ways to achieve a more representative workforce and explore ways to encourage underrepresented groups to want a career with us. Media advertising is sourced in line with this objective. DoI actively encourages staff to consider all aspects of flexible working patterns. These opportunities have recently been highlighted in our recruitment and staff induction material. DoI is also committed to supporting personal and professional development. Our Professional Development and Diversity champions work together to ensure that appropriate learning and development activities are available to all. Development plans are specific to personal needs, and address every aspect of diversity. This provides opportunities for personal growth and allows for career aspirations and career pathway routes to be formally highlighted across the Directorate.

4. The DoI has its own diversity forum, chaired by the Deputy Director of Information, and has representation from across the Directorate. This forum looks at how MPS Diversity policy can be applied, supported and encouraged within the DoI.

5. The DoI has integrated onto its corporate ICT platform and made available a comprehensive range of Assistive Technologies to ensure that MPS employees (and prospective employees) can use MPS systems productively. These technologies include screen magnifiers, audio screen readers, voice recognition and ergonomic mice and keyboards amongst others.

6. DoI purchasing strategy is being developed in line with the GLA Sustainable Procurement Policy. Supporting this DoI has set up a Green Computing Forum, whose objective is to; devise, review and influence 'Green Computing' policies, guidelines and practices within the DoI and the wider MPS. This takes into account technology in its fullest context, including the purchase, use and disposal of ICT equipment. The forum will make recommendations on optimal practices that would be consistent with the Green Computing Charter and other MPS strategies including the Environmental Strategy."

D. Financial implications

1. The Directorate of Information operates on an annual budget. In 07/08 this was £223 million (Revenue) and £49 million (plus £31m carry forward) Capital, which was subsequently reduced to £65m Capital. The revenue budget is primarily expenditure although there is a small (c£900k) element of income. Police officer/staff pay and overtime account for 22% of its expenditure. This year’s Revenue budget is after providing efficiency savings amounting to £10.3m for 07/08, with a further £6.9m savings identified for next year. Of our expenditure for 2007/08 to date a significant proportion (£43.8 million) is ICT outsourced services.

2. The remaining DoI expenditure is either allocated to:

• Providing a development programme that supports the replacement and upgrading of the existing infrastructure and delivers ICT solutions to business requirements in support of the corporate objectives.
• ensuring that the existing systems and infrastructure work and that we provide support to our customers within the MPS as required. This is where the main allocation of our revenue resides, with a significant spend supporting Overt and Covert operational support (c£30m)

E. Background papers

None

F. Contact details

Report author: Angela Jones, Directorate of Information, Marketing and Communications

For more information contact:

MPA general: 020 7202 0202
Media enquiries: 020 7202 0217/18

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