The North Wales Police force is hoping to increase the number of officers on
the beat and save at least £400,000 after introducing a computerised employee
management system.
The duty management project will save time by replacing manual staff
scheduling with an IT system to ensure the force always has enough officers
working at any given time.
The system, which caters for 1,500 officers and 1,000 civilian staff,
ensures police spend as much time as possible in the community while keeping up
with other commitments such as court appearances and training days.
Ruth Purdie, acting superintendent at North Wales Police, with
responsibility for HR, said the system will help HR track and manage sickness
and injury.
"It will make the police more efficient in managing its personnel and
improve performance and quality of service. It also helps us deal with all the
complexities of police regulations and reduces paperwork.
"We estimate saving at least £400,000-worth of admin time over the next
two years," she said.
The system, Open Options, links directly to payroll, calculates complex
overtime payments and ensures compliance with the Working Time Directive.
