28 Sep 2021

National Law Enforcement Data Programme

The Commons Committee of Public Accounts met on 16/09/2021 to take evidence as part of their inquiry into the National Law Enforcement Data Programme.

Matthew Rycroft CBE, Permanent Secretary, Home Office

Mike Hill, Director, Police and Public Protection Technology, and SRO, NLEDP, Home Office

Joanna Davinson, Executive Director, Central Digital and Data Office

Stephen Webb, Former Senior Responsible Owner, Home Office

Topics raised at the Commons Committee of Public Accountsincluded:

  • the police national computer and the police national database
  • NAO report on the National Law Enforcement Data Programme
  • data deletion incident in January 2021 and Lord Hogan-Howe independent review of what happened
  • 2016 attempt to upgrade the police national database
  • how this project covers Northern Ireland and Scotland as well as England and the challenges that come with that
  • how the Home Office underestimated the complexity of upgrading the police national computer
  • how the Home Office have separated its work on the police national database and the police national computer
  • delivery of the emergency services network
  • whether the system will be significantly more resilient against cyberattacks than the systems that are being used now
  • stakeholder engagement when it comes to the delivery of the National Law Enforcement Data Programme
  • cost of this IT upgrade project
  • whether the programme will be delivered on time
  • the Home Office's procurement policies
  • delays to the programme and the impact of this on police funding
 
Q41 Chair: We will come to the PND in a minute. One of the challenges of transitioning, as we have seen, is the technology that is needed at the front line as well. You have the hardware transfer, and ultimately you are going to have to have new hardware as well as the background stuff. How is that going, and what lessons have been learned from that, given we have had now two resets?

There is a cost to the police forces; that is really the point I am driving at. It is a cost they have to build into their financial planning. One of the problems we saw with ESN is that they built in some costings and then had to carry on with the old system anyway, and buy new kit to do that, so their whole budgeting was out of whack. There is a whole chain of money, as well as technical support.

Joanna Davinson: I will ask Mr Hill to pick that one up, because he is closer than I am to the latest conversations with police on their end of the equation.

Mike Hill: As the Permanent Secretary outlined earlier, we are providing

£30 million of funding to forces to enable adoption. We are working very closely with the techUK organisation, which is the vendor community, on how they operate within the force-level elements as well. The key thing about that is the risk profile of that adoption and enabling them to take it on on a much quicker basis than otherwise would have been the case.

Georgie Morgan

Georgie Morgan

Head of Justice and Emergency Services, techUK

Georgie joined techUK as the Justice and Emergency Services (JES) Programme Manager in March 2020, then becoming Head of Programme in January 2022.

Georgie leads techUK's engagement and activity across our blue light and criminal justice services, engaging with industry and stakeholders to unlock innovation, problem solve, future gaze and highlight the vital role technology plays in the delivery of critical public safety and justice services. The JES programme represents suppliers by creating a voice for those who are selling or looking to break into and navigate the blue light and criminal justice markets.

Prior to joining techUK, Georgie spent 4 and a half years managing a Business Crime Reduction Partnership (BCRP) in Westminster. She worked closely with the Metropolitan Police and London borough councils to prevent and reduce the impact of crime on the business community. Her work ranged from the impact of low-level street crime and anti-social behaviour on the borough, to critical incidents and violent crime.

Email:
[email protected]
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgie-henley/

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