New £60m computer system axed by police

POLICE Scotland has pulled the plug on a £60million computer system contract after repeated delays and technical glitches.

The new system was supposed to replace the hotchpotch of obsolete and incompatible IT systems used by Scotland’s eight police forces before they merged in 2013.

But yesterday, seven months after it was meant to be launched, Deputy Chief Constable Iain Livingstone said the i6 contract had been terminated.

Concerns over the force’s computer systems were highlighted last July after the death of Lamara Bell, 25, who lay semi-conscious in a crashed car off the M9 near Stirling for three days because officers failed to act on a 101 call to a police control room.

But technical problems with the new system, built by contractor Accenture, resulted in repeated delays in launching it. Doubts emerged about Accenture’s ability to deliver i6 after Police Scotland said it found multiple faults after handover of the project.

Accenture said it had been thoroughly tested but Martin Leven, director of ICT at Police Scotland, told MSPs in February he had ‘doubts as to the capability of the contractor to deliver this going forward’ as it had ‘very clearly let us down’.

Yesterday John Foley, chief executive of the Scottish Police Authority (SPA), confirmed the deal was dead.

He said: ‘Despite the best efforts of the SPA, Police Scotland and Accenture, it was clear that the technical solution cannot be delivered within expected timeframes and budget. The decision has therefore been taken to end the contract and reconsider options for securing a sustainable IT solution for policing.’

He added: ‘The terms of the agreement are commercially confidential, however we can confirm that the settlement results in no financial detriment to the police budget.’

Mr Foley said i6 was only one element of the overall plans to improve police computer systems. He added: ‘In the last three years we have rolled out a number of national applications to improve and enhance our IT systems and made significant investment in modernising our desktop estate.

‘We have not stood still while awaiting delivery of i6 and we remain committed to delivering a sustainable policing model supported by modern technology.’

He said an independent review would be launched to ensure the SPA and Police Scotland ‘learn lessons’ from the project.

Meanwhile, Mr Livingstone said: ‘While the delivery of the i6 solution will now not go ahead, we are committed to delivering a sustainable policing model supported by modern technology and will work with the Scottish Police Authority to ensure this is delivered in the most efficient and effective way.’

AMANDA PLATELL IS AWAY