C3I /Airwave programme update

Report: 13
Date: 22 November
By: Director of Information on behalf of the Commissioner

Summary

C3i / Airwave Programme status update – for information only. The Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) approved the business case and supported the funding bid for the C3i Programme. After its creation in July 2001, one of the MPA’s earliest tasks was to review the PFI approach to C3i procurement. In line with the MPS recommendations, the MPA deemed PFI to be inappropriate and unaffordable approach for C3i and subsequently voted to approve an alternate approach. The C3i activity was bought in-house so the risks and interdependencies of a Programme this complex could be managed and delivered in line with Home Office, MPA and MPS objectives. Following a review of possible solutions, the C3i programme identified nine options and presented these to the MPA. The MPA mandated the centralised solution based on the three Central Communications Command (CCC) centres. The Home Office subsequently signed off the protocol in 2003.The C3i Programme has been a major undertaking: it is the largest change programme ever undertaken by the MPS; it was based on the largest single Home Office grant to a police force; it impacted on the whole of the MPS; it was a £250m capital programme, with a cost of over £1.5billion over the life of the programme. It has been produced on time, and to budget.

A. Recommendation

Members are asked to note and accept this as the final report regarding the C3i Programme.

B. Supporting information

Background

1. The Programme was the response to a range of drivers for change. This is a key MPS modernisation programme, enabling the organisation to provide truly 21st Century, citizen-focused policing services to people in London.

2. The C3i Programme could not be implemented in isolation. The MPS is subject to a range of service targets including the Strategic Performance Indicators, MPA Performance Indicators and its own corporate objectives and values. The infrastructure being delivered through this programme will link and support other key programmes such as Safer Neighbourhoods and the new Effective Patrolling policy to create a more responsive and dynamic policing service for the nation’s capital.

3. In addition, the MPS was required to plan ahead for the loss of existing radio frequencies and meet the requirements of the national communications standard. There was also a clear need to put in place robust and reliable measures to provide resilience and business continuity.

C3i Objectives

4. The Programme was predicated to deliver specific, measurable benefits for the MPS and for all those who live, work and travel in London. The strategic objectives for the C3i Programme as agreed by the MPS in 2002 were:

• Continue to provide a 999 service – capable of managing growth in public demand, providing increasing levels of satisfaction, meeting government performance targets and being citizen focused.
• Implement the Airwave radio system in line with ISS4PS.
• Meet the demands of the e-government and Electronic Service Delivery agenda.
• Manage resources more efficiently.
• Contain costs - given a constrained public sector financial environment.

5. The programme has aimed to enable the MPS to:

• Modernise and improve the MPS communications service to the public, linking in with other citizen-focused initiatives such as Safer Neighbourhoods and providing a future safe platform from which to develop citizen focused policing
• Support officers with better information, smarter deployment and improved officer safety
• Optimise resources, bringing together people, technology, processes and information.

6. The Programme has been developed in response to the need to ensure the MPS has the capacity and flexibility to respond to the growing number of calls for assistance from the people of London, which, in line with the projected growth in the population of the capital, is expected to grow to 23 million contacts per year.

Delivery and achievements

7. A new way of working: the C3i Programme has introduced new ways of working in the command and Control environment enabled by a range of new technologies, but the Programme has focussed on the citizen experience. Primarily this means meeting demand effectively. Every time a Borough transitioned into Central Communications Command an additional 16% of people were able to get through. Easily accessible information systems mean that more people can be helped at first point of contact without a police presence. Information is captured, logged and shared more effectively, freeing up operator and officer time to focus on priority public needs. The creation of better management information systems offers opportunities for better tailored policing response to community priorities, and more effective targeting of crime hot spots. A centralised, multi-skilled service enriched with local intelligence provides the essential foundation for greater professionalisation of the service.

8. Business functions and facilities: The Programme has now delivered the essential infrastructure for the new business model. The Central Communications Command is believed to be the biggest Operational Command Unit in the country after Westminster. London now has the largest Special Operations Room in the country, which has already been used successfully for both the Tour De France and the Notting Hill Carnival, and is sized to accommodate all MPS business as usual events. The new Integrated Borough Operations provide valuable local intelligence 24/7 to complement the centralised contact management function. The new Language Line facility can provide emergency help in over 150 languages and the new Casualty Bureau can provide a range of services in the event of a major incident

9. Transition of contact handling function: 32 call handling operations have been transitioned from Borough-based Police stations to three purpose built sites and almost 2000 staff have relocated to those sites. A range of key sites have been equipped to integrate effectively with the new systems including 15 London stadia, seven Royal Palaces and Heathrow. Over 17 000 training days have been delivered to ensure that MPS officers and staff are equipped to manage in the new working environment.

10. Technology: A wide range of new technology has been integrated into existing MPS systems to ensure the MPS can make more effective use of its resources. Based on existing platforms, the contact handling environment can now bring together information from communication systems, telephony, historic data, local intelligence, CCTV, mapping and other MPS information databases. Information can now be logged, accessed, shared and updated more efficiently. Officers can be updated on the move, without taking operators away from their core function of handling contacts from the public. Access to nationally held police information can now be obtained direct by the officers themselves without the need to contact operators. Resilience and business continuity have been substantially improved, in line with national requirements. The nationally negotiated Airwave system provides encrypted communications, and greater flexibility for partnership working.

11. Business change: a key component of the C3i Programme was the commitment to embedding business change. Though a great deal of work was undertaken in this respect, the Responding Safely Together initiative became the cornerstone of implementing the new business processes. Over 1000 new business processes were introduced, and these had the potential for significant influence on the existing command and control culture. The way that response policing was designed, managed, directed and delivered was subject to major change.

Milestones

12. The final borough transition was completed on 18 September 2007. More that 11,000 people have been trained on new equipment (this includes Mobile Data Terminal and Central Communications Command training). The Programme is scheduled to close on 30 November: a formal handover of the Programme legacy and a closure report have been approved by the MPA. MPS has introduced the structures necessary to ensure that the benefits of the C3i Programme investment will be managed and monitored, and that the full range of benefits will be realised. The governance will sit within the Citizen Focus Directorate to ensure that citizen experience continues to be the focus of activity.

13. While the Programme is closing on 30 November 2007, some projects will continue, either as part of business as usual, or as completion activity. All such project activity will come under existing scrutiny mechanisms. The DOI will continue to report on achievements as part of business as usual.

Challenges ahead

14. C3i was never intended as an end in itself – it was the start of a new way of doing business. Part of the transition to ‘business as usual’ is the creation of a governance structure to ensure the new ways of working are fully embedded, the benefits are fully realised and the infrastructure is built upon. The governance going forward will sit within the Operational Service Directorate to ensure the C3i legacy continues to impact across the MPS as a whole. In addition, as part of Met Modernisation, the Management Board will be looking to relevant Operational Command Units to develop new and innovative ways of leveraging further benefits from the investment, for example, planning ahead for the Olympics.

15. Embedding the new ways of working: The end-to-end process of response policing has undergone a period of significant and protracted change. A new OCU has been created that has a significant proportion of new recruits, and completely new working relationships have been created to provide a core MPS service to the public. While progress is already being made, there is capacity for further enhancement, including, no doubt, benefits, efficiencies and applications not envisaged in the original business case.

16. Realising the benefits: The C3i Programme was one of the first to achieve the Office of Government Commence (OGC) fifth gateway. The Programme was described as a notable success. This is a significant achievement for the MPS, and the MPA who were closely involved in driving progress. However, the C3i Programme was not designed to be an end in itself and the key challenges are moving from delivery of the infrastructure to realisation of the full range of benefits. OGC will be reviewing progress in this respect in July 2008. Full realisation of the benefits will be within the governance of a group chaired by AC Yates, to whom relevant business groups will be required to report.

17. Building on the infrastructure: The technologies and processes introduced as part of C3i were designed to be scalable and flexible. It is anticipated that further development can be achieved through the introduction of new approaches to mobile data, officer safety functionality and capacity to handle public contact through a wider range of channels

C. Race and equality impact

1. There are no issues specific to this report. Compliance with the meaning and scope of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, the Race Relations Act 1976, the Sex Discrimination Act 1975, the Equal Pay Act 1970 and any Act of Parliament or other legal provisions relating to discrimination in employment, has been considered and accepted in full during C3i / Airwave Programme.

2. Provisions of the Programme have enhanced the MPS capacity to comply with both the spirit and the letter of the legislation. The introduction of the Language Line service has meant that the MPS can now provide fast access to translation services in up to 150 languages. Other new technologies offer improved capacity for capturing, analyzing and sharing data. This means there are more opportunities to deliver a more responsive, tailored service to all communities. Analysis of management information made possible by C3i will allow targeting of crime hot spots and the capacity to respond to crime trends more effectively. This will be a valuable tool in responding to community priorities, and meeting the particular needs of the more vulnerable sections of the community.

3. At an individual level, the new call handling system allows easy access to linked records, so people with specific needs, or those most vulnerable to harm, can get the correct help when they need it, and in the way that is appropriate to their situation.

D. Financial implications

1. Finances of C3i/Airwave Programme are reported to C3i Strategy Group on monthly basis, showing spends to date, forecast expenditure and available funding.

2. C3i / Airwave Programme is fully funded based on the latest available information and has been delivered within the budget allocated.

3. Funding has been made available from a number of sources including Home Office grants, Counter Terrorism, MPA and MPS.

4. There are currently no funding issues or concerns.

E. Background papers

None

F. Contact details

Report authors:  Director of Information, MPS

For information contact:

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

Send an e-mail linking to this page

Feedback