London Assembly Members will tomorrow hold the final meeting in their investigation into the Met’s plans to make technology savings of £102m while also equipping officers with 30,000 new mobile devices.
Earlier this year Met Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan Howe announced plans for an new ‘iPlod’ strategy which will allow officers to complete paperwork without returning to stations.
The Commissioner has said the Met’s current technology platform were “not well suited to support its core policing objectives”.
Deployment of the new devices will run parallel to the force’s need to make technology savings of £42m in 2014-15 and £60m in 2015-16.
The London Assembly’s Budget and Performance Committee has already held two evidence sessions into the plans.
In March Assembly Members were told the Met risks wasting millions of pounds of public money on smartphone and tablet “paperweights” unless it ensures the devices are user friendly and fit for purpose.
At Tuesday’s meeting the Committee will question the following guests about how the Met intends to make major saving to its technology budget, and how it plans to use technology to drive down crime and boost public confidence:
- Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley, Metropolitan Police Service (MPS)
- Richard Thwaite, Interim Director of Information, MPS
- Annabel Cowell, Head of Strategic Finance and Resource Management, Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC)
- Faith Boardman, Non-Executive Adviser, MOPAC
The Committee’s investigation will conclude with a report to be published later in the year.
The meeting will take place on Tuesday 18 June from 10am in Committee Room 5 at City Hall (The Queen’s Walk, London SE1 2AA) and is open to members of the public.
