DD1486 Technical Audit of SafeStats hardware

1.1 SafeStats is an intelligence system run by the GLA Intelligence Unit which brings together and hosts a wide range of data from police, emergency services and other agencies, and it brings that data to life with interactive web-based tools for analysis by crime analysts and community safety professionals. SafeStats is funded by the GLA and partners including Transport for London and the London Fire Brigade as well as external funding from projects such as the Home Office-funded Information Sharing for tackling Violence (ISTV) programme coordinated by MOPAC.

1.2 SafeStats has developed into a service admired nationally for the work done to support robust and effective crime analysis. The importance of SafeStats for crime prevention has been highlighted by its role in the Information Sharing for tackling Violence (ISTV) programme. The purpose of the ISTV programme is that assault data from every hospital Emergency Department in London should be collated into the GLA SafeStats data hub and provide meaningful data for every Community Safety Partnership. The London ISTV Programme Board exists to bring together partner organisations working in the areas of criminal justice, health and community safety in London, in order to develop an effective mechanism for data sharing between Emergency Departments, wider health partners and community safety partnerships. This is undertaken with the purpose of improving public safety in London by using Emergency Department data as an intelligence source to reduce violent crime and the number of victims within the capital in response to the Mayoral commitment in the Police and Crime Plan.

1.3 SafeStats services are underpinned by database and website technology maintained by the GLA Technology Group (TG) and SafeStats project. Both teams recognise that parts of the technology infrastructure require upgrades and £80,000 worth of resource has been made available for this as part of the ISTV programme bid.

This audit is purely technical – looking at the technology infrastructure used by SafeStats. The primary objectives of the audit are:

• For the GLA to have a full understanding of the current technical state and structure of the interconnected SafeStats systems.
• To identify the risks and significant issues that currently face the SafeStats system and other remedial work that should be carried out to achieve / contribute to achieving the GLA’s long term aims.
• To make an estimate of the costs involved to bring the SafeStats infrastructure and code base up to current industry standards
• To develop a transition and data migration plan from the current system to the future upgraded and re-architected system
• To provide sufficient technical information to use in the procurement of a supplier to undertake the upgrade work as the next step of the SafeStats upgrade project
• Supporting a range of products and services including the Borough Data Partnership, MOPAC and the Metropolitan Police; to deliver crime and public safety analytics in the capital.

The public sector equality duty requires the identification and evaluation of the likely potential impacts, both positive and negative, of the decision on those with protected characteristics (age, disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, gender, religion or belief, sexual orientation) and set out how you are addressing the duties).

As the work is purely technical, there are no equality implications of the audit work. However, reducing instances of violent crime will be in the interests of all Londoners, which this work facilitates by helping police and crime prevention teams to tackle local issues by providing them with powerful analysis, including hotspot mapping. Equality considerations in procurement will be addressed through TfL’s standard procurement procedures for competitive tender.

a) Key Risk: A key risk to MOPAC’s Information Sharing to Tackle Violence (ISTV) programme is that local IT systems are not capable of collecting all the data required to provide an informative and functional data sharing platform.

Mitigation: This is the purpose of this audit and associated spend, which includes an opportunity to implement IT fixes to SafeStats where necessary. We know from previous work that these problems may be solved with relatively small funding.

b) Links to Mayoral strategies and priorities: MOPAC is the organisation the Mayor uses to exercise his role as the Police and Crime Commissioner for London. MOPAC is responsible for the oversight of the Metropolitan Police Service, and for building working across the Criminal Justice System. The Information Sharing to Tackle Violence (ISTV) programme ensures A&E departments are able to share data about attendees injured by violent crime with the police, via SafeStats, supporting the Mayor’s ambition for the Met to cut neighbourhood crime, boost public confidence and cut costs.

5.1 Approval is being sought to receive funding of £80,000 as part of a proposed Grant Agreement with MOPAC.

5.2 This funding will be carried forward into 2016/17and will be spent in line with the terms and conditions of the Grant Agreement.

5.3 Any changes to this proposal including budgetary implications will be subject to further approval via the Authority’s decision-making process.

5.4 The Intelligence Unit within the Communities & Intelligence Directorate will be responsible for managing this initiative and ensuring that the associated expenditure complies with the Authority’s Financial Regulations, Contracts & Funding Code and Expenses & Benefits Framework.

6.1 The above sections of this report indicate that:
6.1.1 the decision requested of the Director falls within the GLA’s statutory powers to do such things considered to further or which are facilitative of, conducive or incidental to the discharge of its general functions; and
6.1.2 in formulating the proposals in respect of which a decision is sought officers have complied with the GLA’s related statutory duties to:
(a) pay due regard to the principle that there should be equality of opportunity for all people;
(b) consider how the proposals will promote the improvement of health of persons, health inequalities between persons and to contribute towards the achievement of sustainable development in the United Kingdom; and
(c) consult with appropriate bodies.
6.2 Officers must ensure that they are content that the GLA can comply with any conditions to which the MOPAC funding is made subject before placing reliance upon the same.

6.3 The services required must be procured by Transport for London Procurement who will determine the detail of the procurement strategy to be adopted in accordance with the GLA’s Contracts and Funding Code and officers must ensure that appropriate contract documentation is put in place and executed by the successful bidder(s) and the Authority before the commencement of the services.

6.4 Given that the proposed programme and expenditure period extend beyond the current mayoral term officers must also observe the principle that an incumbent administration should not unreasonably fetter the discretion of any future administration, ensuring that the project and all relevant documentation is structured so as to enable the GLA to terminate its participation in the project in a way which minimises the impact of the exercise of such termination rights.