Bridging the Gap: Understanding Policing Interoperability
Within the next two weeks, a video recording of a panel discussion on interoperability will be released where progress on this important topic will be discussed by stakeholders and the Interoperability in Policing Working Group Chair (Clare Elford) which I know will be both interesting and informative.
Very often, I and members of the IPWG get asked “what do we mean by interoperability in Policing. There are, or course, technical definitions, but all too often – while tech folk understand the need for (and benefits of) IT systems and data interoperability - there are many Policing stakeholders who need a non-technical appreciation of what “interoperability” means, in order to garner their support in driving forward with this important topic.
And so, I hope the sketch I’ve included, courtesy of Coeus Software co-founder and CTO, Chris Eccles, here will be of interest (as well as being entertaining!
Ali and Robin talk about interoperability
Ali: Hi Robin, thank you for joining me today to talk about interoperability.
Robin: You’re welcome, Ali.
Ali: So why, in 2023, is interoperability still a major issue in policing?
Robin: Well, before we talk about interoperability, we have to talk about the existing data. Until all the data is cleaned, we can’t interoperate.
Ali: Why not?
Robin: Well, if the data is wrong, there could be a miscarriage of justice, or the police could be liable under GDPR or the data protection act.
Ali: Isn’t that the case anyway?
Robin: Not so much if the systems don’t interoperate.
Ali: What about new data being collected today?
Robin: What do you mean?
Ali: Well, presumably police officers need to record information today, how can they do that if the data has not been cleaned?
Robin: Well, that’s new data.
Ali: But doesn’t that data need to get passed between systems? Can’t we use interoperability tools to do that?
Robin: I think you are coming from the wrong angle. You are falling into the trap of talking about technological solutions, when we need to talk about the requirements for interoperability, the data standards and how those standards are applied across all of the agencies involved.
Ali: Haven’t we been talking about that for the past 20 years?
Robin: Yes, and we’ve made great strides. There’s now a common incident data standard called MAIT.
Ali: But that’s not in widespread use yet, is it, despite being agreed 7 years ago in 2016?
Robin: Well, no, but it lays the foundations for further convergence.
Ali. Hmm. Let’s look at this differently. What exactly do you mean when you say interoperability?
Robin: It’s the ability of police forces, other agencies and organisations to share information and work together, via defined business processes.
Ali: That’s a good big picture, but what about within police forces? How do their software systems talk to each other? Shouldn’t we address that first?
Robin: Well, that’s covered, usually their RMS systems include integration with the other policing systems.
Ali: So, let’s say a new policing product comes along. How do they get adopted by a force?
Robin: They would just integrate with the RMS system, and they’d be good to go.
Ali: How would they do that, exactly?
Robin: Well, it’s not rocket science, the RMS system would have interfaces which they connect to. If they were adding new processes or data, the RMS system would be upgraded to support them.
Ali: But those RMS systems don’t publish their interfaces and won’t supply them to vendors unless sponsored by a force.
Robin: Well, that’s just one extra step?
Ali: But they can’t get sponsored unless they are already an established supplier.
Robin: But surely the force would sponsor them if they liked the software?
Ali: Not if it was going to cost a lot of time or money. Forces have already spent a fortune paying for these integrations and are cash strapped.
Robin: Well, that’s the cost of doing business I guess, what other way is there?
Ali: Well Integration Platforms have come along which treat integration as a separate app, rather than an add-on to dominant vendor’s existing software.
Robin: Yes, I’m aware of those, but the cost of replacing the existing integrations with a whole new system across all forces would be astronomical. Not to mention the massive requirements analysis and specification required leading up to implementation.
Ali: But why a big bang? Yes, that could cost a fortune done all at once. Why not introduce in stages?
Robin: Well, we’re back to the data quality issue. How can we proceed before that is resolved?
Ali: Well, much of what a police force does is in the here and now. It’s responding to current incidents, recording information about them and taking further action as appropriate. In many cases, the touch points to historical data are very limited. Why don’t we focus on that to start with?
Robin: And there’s the lack of common standards between systems.
Ali: Well, that’s where Integration Platforms come in – instead of trying to standardise everything, why don’t we just accept that there are various standards convert between them? An integration platform is ideal for that, as it’s all done in one place. It won’t work for everything, but key POLE data, like a person’s name, is pretty much the same whatever standard it is recorded in.
Robin: Isn’t that a recipe for chaos? It’s departing from the traditional waterfall model of analysis, specification and implementation.
Ali: Not if done in small increments. It is much easier and lower risk to specify and implement one thing, get that working well, and then move on to the next, than to specify everything up front and spend years delivering a solution. It can run alongside what is already in place, so incremental benefits are delivered from day one.
Robin: Well, if this is such a good idea, why has no-one done it already?
Ali: Well, they have – many banking applications – another highly regulated field – use integration platforms – for example when producing an instant approval for a mortgage. They are accessing sensitive information about the applicant from many sources, applying rules and algorithms to arrive at a decision, which comes back within seconds or minutes.
Robin: Well, that’s the private sector. What about the public sector?
Ali: Well, if you get a prescription, the pharmacist can check in a few seconds whether you are eligible for a free prescription – that’s hitting multiple government systems against a set of complex rules, all using an integration platform to orchestrate.
Robin: Well, policing is different. It’s unique.
Ali: Well, not really. If you analyse what police forces do, they are following well defined processes in a highly secure and regulated environment - a description which would describe many other agencies or organisations.
Robin: So, I’ll repeat my question, why are police forces not adopting integration platforms?
Ali: Well actually, they are. Single Online Home uses an integration platform, and several forces are now purchasing Integration Platforms as part of their drive to improve services and the ‘victim experience’, which up to now has often been neglected.
The next step would be to expand the scope of the integration platforms to get best value out of what they have already invested.
Robin: Well, that sounds good to me.
Ali: The problem is that procurement practices need to change. Much procurement presupposes the legacy point to point approach to integration, which effectively locks out the newer innovative products.
Robin: Tell me again, why exactly will Integration Platforms help?
Ali: They move all of the integration into a single application, an Integration Platform, which focusses on doing one thing really well: integration. The platforms call out to the other software systems and orchestrate processes which span multiple software systems. The other systems no longer need to talk to each other directly. They just need to expose the correct data and functionality. The vendors of those other systems can focus on what they do best – making excellent products, instead of diverting resources into talking to other systems they are not familiar with.
Robin: So how does that affect procurement?
Ali: When a force procures with that model, they can focus on the functionality each application provides, and that it provides an appropriate interface that an integration platform can talk to. They then procure the integration using a chosen integration provider, which puts all the responsibility for integration in one place.
Robin: Ah-ha! Isn’t that just kicking the can down the road – now the integration provider is a gatekeeper for who can join the club instead of the RMS provider?
Ali: Well yest and no – an integration platform makes integration easier because it contains sophisticated low-code tools. The cost of a new integration is much lower than direct point to point integration. The barriers to entry are lowered, even if they are not completely removed. Also, the software vendor only has to expose one interface, not write a connector for every other piece of software it might need to talk to.
Robin: In an ideal world that sounds great, but how do we get there?
Ali: The potential of integration platforms is not widely appreciated. It probably needs a push from the centre, with some seed funding to get it off the ground, as the platforms cost money. But once purchased, the more integrations and processes that are added. The better the return on investment. The problem is no one operational requirement typically justifies that initial cost.
Robin: Sounds like I need to speak to my contacts in the Home Office to see if they are aware of this!
Ali: Sounds like a plan!
I hope you enjoyed it! If you have any feedback or comments, please send them to me at [email protected], copying techUK’s Cinzia Miatto at [email protected]
I would recommend, techUK continues to prioritise this important work surrounding interoperability and continue to harness and grow relationships across policing to ensure the message extends far and wide.
Simon Hall, Coeus Software
November 2023