By Vivienne Russell | 27 January 2012
The £80m programme to equip front-line police officers with mobile technology devices has achieved only basic benefits and is not yet providing value for money, auditors have found.
The National Audit Office also said that only one fifth of forces were using the devices effectively to improve their operational and business processes.
The NAO examined the Home Office’s Mobile Information Programme, which delivered mobile technology devices, including Blackberrys and personal data assistants, to officers. By December 2010, 41,000 devices had been rolled out.
Although this was well ahead of schedule, the NAO said not enough thought was given to how forces would use the devices or how much local spending was required.
Cashable savings were also relatively modest. Of the 32 forces surveyed by the NAO only 10 reported any savings, and these were deemed to be minor.
But the auditors acknowledged that the scheme had allowed officers to spend more time out of the station and on the beat, an estimated 18 minutes per shift.
NAO head Amyas Morse said: ‘The roll-out of mobile technology to police forces was achieved against a tight timescale and at reasonable cost. Too little consideration was given, however, to the need for the devises or how they would be used. In the majority of forces, the benefits have not so far extended beyond simply allowing officers to spend more time out of the station.
‘There is still the opportunity to achieve value for money, though, if more forces use the technology to improve the efficiency of their processes and make savings in their back-office activities.’
