Surrey Police Case Study

In 2008 Surrey Police selected Memex Technology to deliver its new enterprise-wide information management system. Memex was selected because they offered to work as a partner with the Enterprise Programme: a partner prepared to work in an open, flexible and transparent way; a partner prepared to share the risk of a major IT programme; a partner committed to working together to overcome the technical and business challenges associated with the delivery of a brand new law enforcement solution.

Surrey’s decision to embark upon the Enterprise Programme was not made lightly. Their existing crime, intelligence and custody systems had served them well, but were now over 18-years-old, and their continued operation presented significant risk. Going forward, the Force would increasingly find itself technologically disadvantaged at a time when national policing initiatives would mandate increasing interoperability. The Force would also be playing a significant role in the 2012 London Olympics, and a new system would be required to meet the demands of this global event. By adopting a platform approach to law enforcement and by enhancing its core capabilities in crime, intelligence, case and custody, Surrey Police will be able to offer better service to its customers. Put simply, this means resolving incidents and investigations more effectively, better tasking and co-ordination of resources, and improving neighbourhood policing and staff/ agency working. It provides Surrey with a more complete overview of their customer picture (so they can shape the response to the requirements of the individual).

The programme has to address a range of challenges, including how to bring together 140 Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) and 4500 Force users, and how to communicate the need for change to secure the buy-in and participation required to work to a set of common business processes. With the planning and implementation focused on business change management and flexibility, Memex Technology’s decision to adopt an ‘Agile’ approach to software development and business change was critical for Surrey Police. Internal communication processes supported this process, including the use of social media and a Learning Management System, with structured information sharing proving equally important.

Agile is an iterative and evolutionary approach to software development that focuses on individuals and interactions over processes and tools, working software over documentation, and customer collaboration over contract negotiation; ultimately responding to change is more important following a plan. With change the one constant in the Police environment, a negotiated control strategy between supplier and customer allowed both parties to accept and embrace this change.

Surrey’s decision to select the Memex solution was also based on a clear need to flex the IT to accommodate its business processes – not see business change forced on the organisation. The Memex platform not only provides a framework for consistency (e.g. MOPI, information sharing, reporting, etc) but also offers applications capable of flexing to accommodate existing and potential new business needs and processes. Internal communication at Surrey also has a key role to play. With a managed two-way flow of information at all organisational levels, the aim is to reduce resistance to change and even future training time. With a positive impact on the roll-out and the transition to new systems, the creation of effective consultation and feedback processes pays significant dividends. At the heart of the Surrey Police implementation is an openness and transparency around what is inevitably a complex IT, operational and commercial arrangement.

With regular communication taking place among key stakeholders from senior management level down, the aim was to ensure that Memex Technology – working in a real partnership with Surrey Police – delivered to the Force an enterprise-wide information management system capable of providing benefits such as improved customer service and intelligence, online reporting and reduced organisational risk. Surrey Chief Constable, Mark Rowley, concluded: “The new enterprise system will help us to maintain that status by increasing our ability to deliver our business with the benefit of a comprehensive knowledge of the issues in hand, improving service and reducing risk to public and police and maintaining Surrey’s status as one of the safest places to live.”