WIREDGOV

Interoperability between IT systems in policing has become a hot topic for several reasons, reflecting the evolving nature of law enforcement, technology, and the challenges faced by modern societies. Not least of all, is that today all crime has a digital element, criminals have weaponised technology. 

An absence of interoperability in organisational terms or between disparate IT systems and solutions will if not addressed lead to failures in policing’s ability to solve crime, protect the public and fail to uphold the Peelian principles upon which policing in the UK is based.

The challenge of interoperability and doing more with data cannot be restricted to only designing systems which acquire and analyse information. The issue must be addressed in an organisational context.  Melvin Conway, back in the 60's had enshrined his thoughts in what is now known as Conway's Law: "Organizations, who design systems, are constrained to produce designs which are copies of the communication structures of these organizations"

When investing in interoperability, it must be analysed in tandem with scrutinizing the organisational topology and communications flow. Budgets and organisational politics aside, the biggest gains to be made is when you are acting on both dimensions. The urgency for greater systems interoperability could be seen as the symptom whilst tired organizational structures and process are a potential cause.

There are three focal interoperability types to consider and corresponding organisational activity. The following is a lightweight framework and application recommendations to use whenever you are exploring the three types for use between 3rd party or internal systems.

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