This in from Hampshire Police Authority, in their own words. Ed
The police authorities for Thames Valley and Hampshire have signed a legal agreement to create a single department for delivering information, communication and technology services.
Police staff working in both forces will work together in one single department managed by Thames Valley Police as the host force.
Agreement signed in January
The agreement was signed by the chief executives and chief constables of Thames Valley Police and Hampshire Constabulary on January 4, 2011. Building on successful collaboration projects within the south east region, the Information Communication Technology collaboration between Hampshire and Thames Valley provides real opportunities to enhance and improve the services delivered to the public.
In the foreword to the agreement signed by Khan Juna, Chairman of Thames Valley Police Authority, and Councillor Jacqui Rayment, Chair of Hampshire and Isle of Wight Police Authority it states:
“Our overarching priority is to ensure that we deliver a policing service to communities in the Thames Valley and Hampshire and the Isle of Wight that is as resilient, efficient and effective as possible, at a time when we are faced with considerable financial constraints.
“The creation of this collaborative function will enable both forces to realise cost reductions that would not be achievable individually and maintain the specialist capability and resilience”
The culmination of hard work
Amanda Cooper, Director of Information Science and Technology at Thames Valley Police said: “The signing of this agreement is the culmination of considerable hard work and commitment by everyone involved in combining the two departments. We have built on the success of the first joint ICT project between the two forces – the IT Service Desk, which went live in May 2009. Joining together our ICT support department and our ICT infrastructure will provide the forces financial savings and a foundation upon which to build further collaboration.”
