Revealed: one million hours of Hampshire police time wasted with computer system

The HM Inspectorate of Constabulary report, published today, reports on Hampshire police’s efficiency.

Despite winning a ‘good’ rating, the report reveals that analysis from the University of Portsmouth found 1,000,000 hours, equivalent to 100 officers’ time, could be saved.

It says the time ‘could be saved from better use’ of the record management system, used to log crime incidents.

Chief constable Olivia Pinkney said: ‘As a very low cost force to the public, Hampshire Constabulary invests a great deal of time and energy to understand how to most effectively use our resources to meet the future demand on our services. I am pleased that these plans have been recognised as “good” with “outstanding” elements.

‘We are here so that the people we serve, their families and our communities are safer. The things we need to do to achieve this are changing as the face of crime changes.’

Academics who did the study believe time can be cut by using a more modern RMS.

The report also said the resources at Fratton station did not match demand.

Inspectors praised the force for its work in addressing ‘hidden demand’ crimes, including slavery, child sexual abuse and cyber crime.

But the report also found the force has no one central system recording staff and officers’ capabilities.

HMIC said the force, for example, did not know how many officers had completed a College of Policing module on cyber crime.

Meanwhile, the force told HMIC it is forecasting future budget gaps of £0.51m in 2017/18, £2.62m in 2018/19 and £5.77m in 2019/20. Pension pressures could increase the 2019/20 gap to £11m.

The force’s major change programme, called HC2020, will cost £8m, HMIC said.

HM Inspector Zoe Billingham said: ‘Some of the work the force does on the prediction of future demand is outstanding and this has allowed Hampshire Constabulary to identify where it needs to develop its capability to address future crimes, such as cyber crime.’

She added: ‘The force has begun to develop its ability to meet the challenge of emerging types of crime like modern-day slavery and human trafficking; it needs to do 
more to ensure that its officers and staff are sufficiently trained so they can provide an effective response to safeguard some of the most vulnerable members of the community.’

Police and crime commissioner Michael Lane said: ‘I am committed to ensuring that the chief constable and her team have the resources needed to deliver operationally effective policing, so that Hampshire Constabulary can go on to be rated as an “outstanding” police force.’