Outdated police records system unable to generate automatic statistics

Malta’s national police system is currently unable to generate automatic statistics, and data on ‘actions taken’ inputted by police are uninterpretable to computer systems because it is entered in plain English.

The police force is now seeking a new records management system to replace its 2007 system, which was last overhauled in 2012.

The police force said in a preliminary market consultation that the new system has to digitise and streamline its current paper-based system, and streamline its crime incidents management, intelligence, case and evidence management into one single, unified policing system.

The current national police system is also incapable of providing officers intelligence and information through a central depository.

“Report-taking would be directly linked to Custody Management, Evidence Management, Court Case Management, Warrant Management, Witness & Victim Management and much more. Officers will no longer have to query a dozen different sources in order to gather data about the full account of a particular case,” the police said in the consultation document.

The flow of information will also be radically transformed through the elimination of physical work files, eliminating the need for complicated registry systems. “All files will be instantly available to anyone with the right privileges, allowing for simultaneous execution of tasks without the need of transferring through internal and external mail.”

Information will also seamlessly flow from the Malta Police Force to the prosecutors and the law courts.

“Officers will no longer be required to spend hours at the station in order to retrieve or input data. They will be empowered to carry out their duties, with constant assistance provided by the unified, operational policing system, available through a range of mobile devices. Witness and victim statements can be collected from the comfort of their own homes or from the scene of a crime, reducing inconveniences for the citizens and in turn increasing officers’ visibility on the streets.”

Currently the Maltese police force is also sourcing researchers who can consult top brass on a study that will assess the force’s ideal staffing, right-size its units, and establish the right staffing of police districts.

The force said the study would help allow its workforce to respond in a more effective and efficient way to the demands placed upon it.

“Following the necessary research, it is expected that a list of recommendations will be submitted to the Malta Police Force for a more effective and efficient management of human resources whilst ensuring a good work-life balance of our officers.”