Officers and staff call for better IT integration, training and user input, in new UK Police Digital Experience Survey

Police officers across the UK are calling for more reliable and better integrated IT systems, improved training and greater national standardisation, after a nationwide survey of the experiences of digital users within forces highlighted that many felt the technology they have is damaging both performance and morale.

Officers and staff are also urging forces and suppliers to increase the amount of user input into the design and development of police digital, data and technology (DDaT) provision, as much of what currently exists is viewed as counter-intuitive and creating significant duplication of tasks.

More than 8,000 officers and staff shared their views and comments as part of the UK Police Digital Experience Survey carried out by Policing Insight and supported by a steering group including the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), Police Federation of England and Wales, Home Office, and Police Digital Service, alongside other stakeholders and suppliers.

The survey results published in the UK Police Digital Experience: User perspectives report find that more than half of police officers are dissatisfied with the DDaT provision within forces, although staff responses are slightly more positive.

The report notes: “The key issues highlighted by 8,081 UK police officers and staff are a combination of fragmented and often outdated technology, poor process design, and insufficient investment.

“Those concerns are compounded by significant struggles around interoperability, a lack of user-centred design, weak governance, and minimal learning and support.

“All of which contributes to damaging workforce wellbeing and morale, limitations on the ability of officers and staff to do a good job, and in some instances a worrying potential impact on judicial outcomes.”

Digital users’ dissatisfaction

The survey posed a series statements and questions to users, asking them to rate their level of agreement about the effectiveness, useability and reliability of police DDaT on issues such as the range and quality of devices, the ease of use of systems, system integration, information quality, and training and support.

It also asked them how satisfied they are with the overall level of DDaT provision and what improvements they would suggest, and gave them the opportunity to share their comments and experiences about how well the technology is enabling them to do their job.

More than half (55%) of police officers up to the rank of chief inspector are dissatisfied with the technology provided by their forces, a figure that rose to 64% among senior officers.

The response to the question was more positive among staff, where half (50%) are satisfied with the provision and only 37% dissatisfied; across all respondents, the level of dissatisfaction sits at 49%.

Other key concerns highlighted by the survey questions and statements include:

• just one in six respondents (16%) agree that the police systems they use are well integrated
• only a quarter (25%) feel they receive high-quality training that is timely, beneficial and ongoing
• fewer than half (40%) believe that the main operational systems they rely on are efficient and effective
• even fewer (39%) say those systems are easy to use.

But it was not all bad news; the overall satisfaction levels have actually increased since the last survey in 2018, while 61% of users are happy with the range and quality of devices provided by forces, and 59% agreed that they are always able to access police operating systems.

The UK Police Digital Experience Survey in numbers – Download high resolution image.

Challenging experiences

Alongside the quantitative analysis of satisfaction levels, respondents contributed more than 35,000 comments about their own experiences using police DDaT. Many responses highlight the struggles with duplication of tasks, the unreliability of some commonly used systems, and the lack of support to resolve technology issues, especially for those working in 24/7 roles.

They point to the lack of user consultation in the design of systems as a major stumbling block, and call for greater investment and standardisation of systems across the service.

The frustrations caused by those challenges are also evident, as users highlight the impact on their ability to do a good job – and the risks that failing systems can have on judicial outcomes – as well as the damage to the mental health and wellbeing of officers and staff, including colleagues reduced to tears, taking time off sick and even leaving the job.

Writing in the report, Chief Constable Rob Carden, the NPCC lead for DDaT, states: “I know that officers and staff are too often hampered by technical barriers. As highlighted throughout this report, the digital provisions we have in place make it difficult to share intelligence, limit collaboration and in some circumstances, slow investigations.

“We are working hard to remove those barriers, with significant work taking place in the background to address the issues highlighted throughout this report… Please rest assured that the issues highlighted have been heard, and will be recorded and acted upon as a priority.”

Also contributing to the report, Police Federation National Board member Simon Kempton notes: The experiences described throughout this report are not isolated complaints or resistance to change. They are consistent themes repeated by thousands of respondents across forces and roles.

“Officers describe spending excessive time duplicating information across systems that do not communicate properly. Staff describe inefficient processes and unreliable workflows. Many speak openly about the stress created by systems that add complexity to already pressured environments.

“The message from officers and staff is clear. They want systems that are reliable, integrated, intuitive and genuinely supportive of the job they do. They want better training, better support and a stronger voice in shaping the technology they use.

“Above all, they want digital systems that help them serve the public effectively rather than placing further obstacles in their way.”

Alongside this initial report, the data drawn from the UK Police Digital Experience Survey will be used to drill down into the individual performances of police forces and specific systems, to be covered in further reports by Policing Insight in the near future.