Record of decision – Data Platform Delivery & Enterprise Information Management BC.

Ref: PCC/D/2025/19

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 

 West Mercia Police is undertaking a strategic transformation in how it manages, governs, and exploits data to support operational effectiveness, public safety, and compliance. This business case outlines the rationale, scope, and investment required to continue delivery of the Data Platform Delivery (DPD) and Enterprise Information Management (EIM) projects as a unified programme.

 The combined initiative will deliver a modern, scalable Police Data Platform that consolidates fragmented data sources, improves data quality, and enables advanced analytics. It will address longstanding challenges including siloed systems, manual reporting, and non-compliance with MoPI regulations, while laying the foundation for future capabilities such as predictive policing, automated reporting, and self-service analytics. In doing so this directly addresses the stated aims of the Safer West Mercia Communities Plan in terms of Digital Transformation and delivering analytical capabilities. Indirectly these deliverables will also support crime reduction & investigation and partnership working.

 Key deliverables include:

• Deployment of a modern, fully supported, centralised Data Warehouse integrating Athena, Origin, and Safe datasets. It will be capable of integrating other core systems as required.
• Remediation of legacy data within the old, unsupported warehouse DWP2, enabling decommissioning of A2G and Blade processes. This work is essential in getting the data ready for potential move away from Athena.
• Establishment of a Master Data Model (MDM) and development of the Golden Nominal – key to improving the accuracy of operational data.
• Implementation of robust data governance meetings and quality controls aligned to the Future Operating Model (FOM).
• Delivery of Power BI reporting infrastructure and transition to BAU support.
• Strategic alignment with the Safer West Mercia Communities Plan, West Mercia’s Data Strategy and national policing priorities.

The EIM workstream plays a critical enabling role, simplifying the technical landscape and improving compliance, while the DPD workstream focuses on building the analytical infrastructure and operational reporting capabilities.

This business case recommends continuing with the previously agreed delivery model but focusing dedicated resources on the warehouse build and deferring non-critical scope to future phases. This approach balances strategic ambition with operational feasibility, ensuring early value delivery while maintaining momentum toward long-term transformation.

This business case seeks an urgent decision on project resourcing to mitigate the risk of key delivery staff leaving WMP when their contracts end in September. Without prompt action, the project faces delivery delays, deferred benefits, and increased future costs.

 This project has the approval of the Change and Transformation Board and has been independently assured by a trusted 3rd party (Simpsons Associates), who found that this was a suitable approach for a policing organisation such as West Mercia. It is also endorsed by the Chief Constable.

PROPOSAL

 That the PCC approves the investment of £1,656,560 as part of the capital programme for 2025/26 for investment in the DPD / EIM Project.

 The recommendation from the force, endorsed by the Chief Constable, is that the investment is required in the DPD/EIM project as a strategic enabler of the Safer West Mercia Communities Plan. That the programme represents a low-risk, high-impact investment in the force’s digital capability and public service outcomes and it is a priority for the organisation.

APPROVAL OF West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner

I hereby approve the above proposal.

PART 1 – NON-CONFIDENTIAL/EXEMPT FACTS AND FIGURES

SUPPORTING REPORT

Please see business case here.

STRATEGIC CONSIDERATIONS

This decision supports the following element(s) of the West Mercia Safer Communities Plan:

☒Cutting Crime                        

☒Policing with the Community  
☒Supporting Victims & Survivors         

☒Maximising Resources & Value

The decision supports this/ these objective(s) through the following:

The DPD/EIM programme is a transformational initiative designed to modernise West Mercia Police’s data infrastructure, improve operational effectiveness, and enhance public safety. It directly supports the delivery of the PCC’s four strategic pillars:

1. Cutting Crime

• Enables predictive analytics and early identification of crime patterns, supporting proactive policing.
• Supports tasking and daily management through integrated dashboards (e.g., Pacesetter, custody, call handling).

2. Policing with the Community

• Enhances transparency and accountability via real-time reporting tools.
• Empowers frontline teams with self-service analytics, enabling faster response to community concerns.

3. Supporting Victims and Witnesses

• Improves data quality and compliance, ensuring accurate victim records and case handling.
• Enables faster incident insights, improving victim support and safeguarding.
• Integrates data across Athena and SAFE systems for a single view of victim interactions.

4. Maximizing Resources and Value for Money

• Delivers £1.8m in estimated time savings through reduced manual reporting and improved situational awareness.
• Retires legacy systems (e.g., DWP2, A2G, Blade), reducing technical debt and operational costs.

Strategic Fit

• Directly addresses the PEEL 2023–25 Area for Improvement: “The force needs to make better use of data and analysis to make sure it is operating efficiently and effectively.”
• Supports national policing priorities around data governance, MoPI compliance, and digital transformation.
• Builds a future-ready platform for AI, automation, and national reporting standards. 

The Chief Constable has provided his endorsement of the project as being necessary and a priority to be undertaken in the current financial year.

BENEFITS AND THEIR REALISATION 

Expected Benefits

• Faster decision-making through real-time access to reliable data. Potential to save an estimated £1.8m in officer and staff time through improved operational situational awareness and enhanced analytical capabilities.
• Improved data quality and compliance, especially with MoPI regulations. Reduction in manual error corrections saving up to £0.023m.
• Reduced manual effort in reporting and analysis.  Improved efficiency and cost effectiveness using new tools to extract and analyse data, saving up to £0.047m.
• Better resource allocation based on accurate insights.
• Enhanced public safety through predictive analytics and early intervention.
• Cost savings by retiring outdated systems and streamlining reporting.
• Increased transparency and trust through better data governance.
• Future-readiness for national reporting standards and system upgrades

Benefits Realisation and Evaluation

Post-implementation, the platform will be supported by Digital Services.

FINANCIAL AND TREASURER COMMENTS

 A capital allocation of £1.5m was included in the capital budget for 2025/26 based on an estimate of potential cost. The full business case has identified that the actual cost based on resources required for delivery will be £1.656m. All resources required are people, to build the infrastructure on the digital infrastructure that has been already built in the greenfield environment. The additional £156k request above initial estimate represents circa £16k annual charge to the MTFS. 

The resulting asset has been given a 10 year UEL which will result in an additional annual revenue cost, peaking at £245k in year 2.

The economic case in the paper identifies an estimated £1.8m of efficiency savings from the project, although this has not been quantified as cashable. Whilst these savings are welcome and improvements in data utilisation are a key driver for service improvement the revenue impact needs attention. Recommend that the force, through the C&T board, regularly review benefits from delivery of the project, and that identify any cashable savings that can be applied to future RCCO to offset the capital investment impact on revenue.

Treasurer

Signature                     Date 22/09/25

LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS

By virtue of schedule 11, paragraph 14 of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 the Police and Crime Commissioner may do anything which is calculated to facilitate, or is conducive or incidental to, the exercise of the functions of commissioner.  That includes: entering into contracts and other agreements (whether legally binding or not) and acquiring and disposing of property (including land).

PUBLIC ACCESS TO INFORMATION

Information in this form is subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOI Act) and other legislation.  Part 1 of this form will be made available on theWest MerciaCommissioner’s website. Any facts and advice that should not be made automatically available on request are not included in Part 1 but instead in a separate Part 2 report.

OFFICER APPROVAL

Chief Executive Officer

Signature              Date  23rd September 2025