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PCs used by the London Metropolitan Police take up to 30 minutes to boot, whilst a number of back office systems date back to the 1970s.
The abysmal state of the MET’s PC equipment was revealed by assistant commissioner Mark Rowley, who addressed the issue at a recent Budget and Performance committee meeting, reports The Inquirer.
"The nature of the infrastructure meant that for many officers around the Met to log on to their computer was taking more than half an hour," confessed Rowley during the meeting.
He also went on to highlight that much of the equipment being used by the organisation was greatly outdated, stating: "We have a collection of systems that are individual good ideas wired together over 40 years. One goes back to the 1970s. Even the language the systems are written in – most people who can write that language are nearing retirement. It is slightly frightening."
It’s a worrying realisation that details just how much time officers are spending simply turning their on PC or workstation – but it’s one that’s echoed by John Biggs, the Budget and Performance committee’s chair.
"The public want to see officers on the street tackling crime, not struggling with antique technology back at the station," said Biggs.
"The Met cannot afford to go on like this. Its forthcoming strategy must address these problems while focusing on the potential that new technology offers, to drive down costs while increasing productivity and boosting public confidence."
Despite the obvious need for equipment upgrades across the board, Rowley stressed that much of the equipment used by the MET would be both difficult and expensive to replace, but emphasised the importance of smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices, and the role they could in replacing the dated systems.
Keyboard image from Shutterstock
