Freedom of Information, Information Compliance Unit, Kent Police Headquarters, Sutton Road,
Maidstone, Kent ME15 9BZ Phone: 01622 654413
Fax: 01622 654437 - e-mail: [Kent Police request email]
Mr J Back-Brown
Date:
24th August 2009
[FOI #9459 email]
Tel No. (DDI)
01622 664429
FOI Ref.
2205/2009
Dear Mr Back-Brown,
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST 2205/2009
I write in connection with your request for information received by Kent Police on the 16th
March 2009. I am very conscious that this response finds you some time after the statutory
time limit permitted to a public authority for dealing with requests has passed and for the
lateness of this response I apologise.
I note that you seek access to information relating to details of all Kent Police local and national
IT Support Contracts.
Following receipt of your request, searches were conducted within Kent Police to locate the
information relevant to your request and I can respond as follows:
Please could I be sent details of all Kent Police local and national IT Support Contracts; i.e. Case
and Custody systems, Command and Control systems, HR Systems, penalty processing
systems, sex offenders register, national firearms system, all document Management Systems,
ANPR systems. Along with names of suppliers, length and values of contract (total values and
annual) and expiry dates.
Answer: The table overleaf provides details of the systems used by Kent Police. It also includes
details of the contractor and the length of the contract with them.
Kent Police : Central Operations FOI
Policy No. D18
Form No.3540_11 rev Feb 2005 [erev 02/5] v1.5
SYSTEM
CONTRACTOR
LENGTH OF CONTRACT
Genesis – (Intel, Case,
IPL
February 2013
Custody & Crime)
PNC (owned by NPIA)
Northgate
Renewed on a quarterly
basis
NDI
Expires July 2011
Storm – Incident
Steria
Expires end of March 2010
Management and Control
& Command
HR Systems
SAP
Throughout the lifecycle of
the product
ROC
3 year contract, ending
2010
Document Management
N/A
N/A
CTO Systems – Penalty
Suite of Startraq
National agreement expires
processing
software: Startraq
1st July 2013
NES & VPFPO: Northgate Catalyst agreement expires
Information Solutions UK 31 December 2010
Ltd
Sex Offenders Register
NPIA
Rolling National agreement
(PNC) VISOR
INI being replaced by PND Logica
National agreement
National Firearms
NPIA
Rolling National agreement
Licensing System
ANPR
Civica UK Ltd
ANPR Maintenance and
Support expires 31st May
2010
Information regarding the values of the contracts is exempt from release under Section 43 (2)
of the Freedom of Information Act, Commercial Interests. Section 43 is a qualified, class-based
exemption, which requires that I consider the public interest, and provide evidence of the harm
that may be caused by disclosure. I have included the relevant parts of the exemption and the
public interest test and evidence of harm below.
Section 43 (2) Commercial Interests
(2) Information is exempt information if its disclosure under this Act would, or would be likely
to, prejudice commercial interests of any person (including the public authority holding it).
Public Interest Test
Considerations Favouring Disclosure
Accountability
Kent Police should be accountable for the decisions they make in relation to systems used and
contracts with external companies.
Use of Public Funds/Resources
There is an obvious public interest surrounding accountability and justification of where public
funds are being spent.
Kent Police : Central Operations FOI
Form No.3540_11 rev Jan 2005 [erev 1/05] v1.1
Policy No. D18
Considerations Favouring Non-Disclosure
Efficient and Effective Conduct of the Force Third party companies used by Kent Police may object to information regarding the values of
contracts being released, which may cause problems with maintenance contracts and support
provided by external contractors, this in turn may have a detrimental effect on the efficient and
effective conduct of the force if there is not adequate support for systems used.
Interests of Third Party
It is important to consider the effect of releasing the information on the third party as it relates
to commercial and financial information. Releasing this information may give companies a
competitive edge over each other thus providing a competitive and unfair advantage. In the
worst circumstances, companies would be able to submit tenders for business, pricing their
services lower than the existing contractor, even though they are aware that they would not
realistically be able to provide the service at that cost. This would clearly not be in the public
interest.
Evidence of Harm
The individual value of contracts is commercially sensitive information and release of this
information could result in companies gaining a competitive edge over rivals, which will cause
damage to the third party.
Also, release of this information would give potential contractors an indication of what kind of
figures the Force is prepared to invest in certain areas. This would compromise our own
bargaining position when seeking new suppliers to provide services.
Balance Test In this case, whilst awareness of the value of contracts would ensure that the Kent Police
remains accountable, and would provide the community with detailed information making them
aware that the force is spending public money wisely, this purpose is already served by
regulatory scrutiny by, for example, the Kent Police Authority Audit and Finance Committee.
These arguments are outweighed by the reasons against disclosing this information, which
would clearly result in commercial harm to our contractors and the Force, and potentially
adversely impact public safety if our systems are not as efficient as they should be.
Therefore, after weighing up competing interests, I have determined that the disclosure of the
above information would not be in the public interest. I believe that the harm considerations
and the importance of the factors favouring non-disclosure outweigh those considerations
favouring disclosure.
Thank you for your interest in Kent Police and I hope that the information we have been able to
provide is of use to you. A sheet, which summarised your rights, was enclosed with the
acknowledgement sent to you and as suggested therein, should you have any further questions
concerning your request, please contact me quoting the reference number shown above.
Yours sincerely,
Julia Potten
Freedom of Information Administrator
Kent Police : Central Operations FOI
Form No.3540_11 rev Jan 2005 [erev 1/05] v1.1
Policy No. D18
Your right to complain
We take our responsibilities under the Freedom of Information Act seriously but, if you feel your
request has not been properly handled or you are otherwise dissatisfied with the outcome of
your request, you have the right to complain. We will conduct an internal review to investigate
the matter and endeavor to reply within 20 working days.
You may lodge your complaint by writing to:
Supt. Paul Gladstone
Head of the Information Compliance Unit
Professional Standards Department
Kent Police Headquarters
Sutton Road,
Maidstone Kent
ME15 9BZ
Or by e-mailing
[Kent Police request email]
If you are still dissatisfied following our internal review, you have the right under section 50 of
the Act to complain directly to the Information Commissioner. Before considering your
complaint, the Information Commissioner would normally expect you to have exhausted the
complaints procedures provided by Kent Police.
The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:
FOI Compliance Team (complaints)
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire SK9 5AF
Kent Police : Central Operations FOI
Form No.3540_11 rev Jan 2005 [erev 1/05] v1.1
Policy No. D18
