Full extent of iOPS issues might not yet be known, says deputy mayor

The full extent of the issues behind Greater Manchester Police’s ‘clunky’ £29m computer system might not yet be known, the deputy mayor of the city-region has warned.

Officers have broken ranks to complain about problems with transferring intelligence to the Integrated Operational Policing System, or iOPS, since its launch in June 2019.

Hundreds of reports – including domestic abuse cases and addresses likely to contain firearms – have been missed, potentially putting vulnerable people and officers at risk.

Last year GMP was placed into special measures by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services after around 80,000 crimes were not recorded, a move which saw chief constable Ian Hopkins leave his post.

It also emerged earlier this month that the force had found 5,000 pieces of intelligence – including tip-offs – hiding in iOPS which had been logged but never reviewed or acted upon.

The latest findings were presented to Greater Manchester’s police, crime and fire panel by deputy mayor Beverley Hughes.

“This is very significant, some of that intelligence could be of no significance but some of it can be,” said Baroness Hughes.

“That’s really disappointing, and that’s a very kind word really, because the previous leadership assured us when the previous problem emerged around failure to upload intelligence properly, that it had been fully resolved.

“There has now been the discovery of a significant number of intelligence reports dating back some time that now need to be assessed and uploaded properly into the system.

“It is concerning because it suggests that maybe we still don’t even yet know the full details of what might emerge and that does not give us the reassurance that ideally we’d like.”

The panel was told that while the PoliceWorks aspect of iOPS has caused the most issues over several months, other parts of the system are ‘working well and are appreciated’.

But during a recent visit to a district station Baroness Hughes was told by officers that they were still being ‘severely hampered’ by issues with the speed of the system.

Superintendent Phil Spurgeon admitted to the panel that he had also received complaints about speed and performance from GMP officers.

He said: “When you move between tabs you’ll see a spinning wheel and that is slowing our staff down, and there are bits of the system that still feel a bit clunky.

“The work we are planning is speeding up movement through the system which is really important at the moment with the demand that we’re facing across many areas.”

Mr Spurgeon said any police force upgrading their computer system would experience a ‘really difficult journey’ and ‘a year of bumpiness.

But he added: “We’ve probably faced two years of bumpiness but we’re really hoping to kick on.”

Stephen Watson, who took over as GMP’s chief constable in May, has ordered a review of iOPS, and has not ruled out replacing it.

The findings are expected by the end of the year.

Majid Hussain, a co-opted member of the panel, asked about the potential impact on officers if GMP decided to move to a new system, and the ongoing impact on the public.

“It’s having a detrimental impact on trust and confidence,” he added.

In response, Mr Spurgeon said scrapping iOPS ‘is not an easy decision’ due to the cost and the fact that it would mean officers would have it continue to use for up to two years while a replacement system is put in place.

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