Modelling the implementation and acceptance of the Police National Database in UK police forces

332 Pages·2017·3.11 MB·English

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Modelling the
implementation and
acceptance of the Police
National Database in UK
police forces
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• A Doctoral Thesis. Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements
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Modelling the Implementation and Acceptance of the Police
National Database in UK Police Forces
By
Tessa Lambri

A Doctoral Thesis

Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements
for the award of
Doctor of Philosophy of Loughborough University

December 2013

© By Tessa Lambri, 2013
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Firstly, I would like to give special thanks to my Home Office supervisor, Mr Martin
Hollingsworth, without his support and direction, I would not have been able to engage
with police forces to conduct this research.

My supervisors– Dr Louise Cooke and Professor Tom Jackson have been amazing. Their
encouragement, patience and support were immeasurable! And I will miss working with
them so much.

I would also like to thank Mrs Lynda Langton – PhD Student Administrator, who is a real
asset to us all at the Centre of Information Management, And also, my thanks to Dr
Gillian Ragsdell, former Director of Research Degree Programme, for her positivity and
advice.

I am gratefully thankful to the following colleagues for supporting my research:
Detective Chief Inspector Richard Winser (Cambridgeshire Constabulary), Detective
Chief Inspector Brendan O’Shea (Greater Manchester Police), Detective Chief
Superintendent Mick Campbell (Hertfordshire Constabulary), Detective Chief Inspector
Dave Tweddle, (Durham Police), Detective Superintendent Nigel Bashem (Metropolitan
Police Service), Inspector Dave Weston (Northamptonshire Police), Superintendent
Brian Douglas (Home Office), Sharon Harby (College of Policing), Kylie Lucas (NPIA),
Steve Underwood (Cambridgeshire Constabulary) Senior Project Manager Darryl Smith
(Essex Police) Project Manager’s Paul Hooseman (Leicestershire Police), John Curtin
(Essex Police), Rebecca McCullough (Hertfordshire Constabulary), and Will Murphy
(Bedfordshire Police).

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ABSTRACT

The Police National Database (PND) was launched in June 2011 as a direct
recommendation from the Bichard Inquiry. Its main purpose is to provide a national
platform to share police information and for the first time, the PND will provide a single
view of data held in police intelligence, custody, crime, child and domestic abuse
systems across the UK. The PND will not replace local police systems, but it will allow all

forces to see and share information - that until now has only been available within
individual force boundaries.
The implementation process of the PND evoked significant business change, which has
not only impacted on the way police officers and staff manage information, but also
challenged cultural practices toward the sharing of police information. Delivery of the
PND was incremental, and local variations in its deployment have influenced the extent
to which the system was adopted. This study explores the inception, implementation
and acceptance processes of the PND using a longitudinal and qualitative research
design, which focuses on identifying propelling factors that have shown to influence the
integration of the system from both a user and stakeholder perspective. Key lessons
have been captured throughout this research, which relate to managing system
transition, the pivotal role of strategic leadership, the management of police
information, and meeting users’ technical and business requirements. In terms of
sustaining the ongoing use of the PND, the findings of this research suggest that the
success of the system is largely dependent on maintaining rigorous and robust data
quality standards, so that users’ remain confident in the integrity of the PND. The
original contribution of this research is the contextual development of a police system
acceptance toolkit (P-SAT), which comprises of a conceptual model, an activity flow
chart and a strategic alignment map. This is to support the future delivery of national
IT/IS projects in the police organisation.

Keywords: Police Organisation; Sharing Information; Technology Implementation and
Adoption; Police System Acceptance Toolkit.

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ABBREVIATIONS

ACPO Association of Chief Police Officers
BPR Business Process Re-Engineering
CEOP Child Exploitation Online Protection Agency
CT Counter Terrorism
FIB Force Intelligence Bureau
HMIC Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabularies
ILP Intelligence Led Policing
INI Impact Nominal Index
IS Information System
IT Information Technology
MoD Ministry of Defence
MoPI Management of Police Information
MPS Metropolitan Police Service
NHS National Health Service
NIM National Intelligence Model
NPIA National Policing Improvement Agency
NSPCC National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children
NUG National User Group
P-SAT Police System Acceptance Toolkit
PEOU Perceived Ease of Use
PNC Police National Computer
PND Police National Database
PSD Professional Standards Department
PU Perceived Usefulness
RUG Regional User Group
SOCA Serious and Organised Crime Agency

TAM Technology Acceptance Model

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THESIS CONTENTS
ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................................... 3

ABBREVIATIONS ............................................................................................................................... 4

THESIS CONTENTS ............................................................................................................................ 5

FIGURES ............................................................................................................................................... 9

TABLES ................................................................................................................................................. 9

CHAPTER 1 ........................................................................................................................................ 10

INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND ....................................................................................... 10

1.1 Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 10
1.2 Police National Database – Organisational Context ............................................................. 12
1.3 Operation YEWTREE – Jimmy Saville Investigation and HMIC Review ...................... 16
RESEARCH AIMS & OBJECTIVES ................................................................................................. 20
1.4 Impact of this Research on the PND Project ............................................................................ 19

1.5 Research Aim - 1 ................................................................................................................................. 20
Objectives ...................................................................................................................................................... 20
1.5.1 Research Aim - 2 ............................................................................................................................. 20
Objectives ...................................................................................................................................................... 20
CHAPTER 2 ........................................................................................................................................ 22
1.6 Thesis Outline ...................................................................................................................................... 21
LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................................................................... 22

2.1 Evaluating Information Systems in a Complex Context ..................................................... 22
2.1.1 The Role of Information Technology and Knowledge Management ......................... 27
2.1.2 Managing Organisational and Business Change ................................................................ 32
2.1.3 User Acceptance of Information Technology ...................................................................... 34
2.1.4 Police Acceptance of New Technology ................................................................................... 39
CHAPTER 3 ........................................................................................................................................ 51
2.2 Key Findings and Considerations ................................................................................................ 48
RESEARCH DESIGN & METHODOLOGY .................................................................................... 51

3.1 Philosophical Framework - Phenomenology .......................................................................... 51
3.2 Qualitative versus Quantitative Methodologies..................................................................... 54
3.3 Theory Building Methodology for Developing P-SAT ......................................................... 56
3.4 Validating Qualitative Research ................................................................................................... 59
3.5 An Interpretivist and Case-Study Approach ........................................................................... 60
3.6 Participant Observation ................................................................................................................... 64
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3.7 Research Methodologies on the Acceptance & Utilisation of Technology .................. 65
CHAPTER 4 ........................................................................................................................................ 73
3.8 Data Collection Process .................................................................................................................... 68
INFORMATION SYSTEM TRANSITION: PND INITIATION .................................................. 73

4.1 Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 73
4.2 Preparing for Information System Changeover ..................................................................... 74
4.3 Research Sample ................................................................................................................................. 75
4.3.1 Participants Questions .................................................................................................................. 76
4.3.2 Interview Questions ...................................................................................................................... 76
4.4 A Case-oriented Approach to Data Analysis ............................................................................ 77
4.5 INI Usage– Advantages, Disadvantages and Resistance to Change ............................... 79
4.5.1 PND User Expectations and Information Management Capabilities ......................... 81
4.5.2 Managing Transition & Business Change During Technology Initiation ................. 92
CHAPTER 5 ........................................................................................................................................ 95
4.6 Summary ................................................................................................................................................ 94
PND POST-IMPLEMENTATION REVIEW (1): ADOPTION .................................................. 95

5.1 Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 95
5.2 Exploring Conceptual Relationships Empirically .................................................................. 95
5.3 Post-Implementation Review Objectives ................................................................................. 97
5.3.1 Research Sample ............................................................................................................................. 98
5.3.2 Designing the Interview Schedules and the Interviewing Approach ........................ 98
5.4 Analytical Process .............................................................................................................................. 99
5.5 Phase 3 – Post-Implementation Review (1) Findings ...................................................... 103
5.5.1 Technology Factors: End-Users Skills, Data Management & Disclosure ............... 103
5.5.2 Organisational Factors: Information Sharing, Leadership & Peer Influence ...... 107
5.5.3 Implementation Factors: Business Processes, PND Guidance & Training ........... 110
5.6 Post-Implementation: Critical Review Factors ................................................................... 113
5.6.1 Developing a Conceptual Model-PND Post-Implementation Review (1) ............. 115
CHAPTER 6 ..................................................................................................................................... 120
5.7 Summary ............................................................................................................................................. 119
PND POST-IMPLEMENTATION REVIEW (2): INTERNALISATION ............................... 120

6.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................... 120
6.2 Research Sample .............................................................................................................................. 121
6.2.1 Focus Groups Questions ............................................................................................................ 122
6.3 Theoretical Considerations in Adopting Innovations ...................................................... 123
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6.4 Analytical Technique and Process ............................................................................................ 125
6.5 Phase 4 – Post-Implementation Review (2) Findings ...................................................... 126
6.5.1 PND Capability .............................................................................................................................. 127
6.5.2 Managing Information ............................................................................................................... 128
6.5.3 PND Deployment .......................................................................................................................... 129
6.5.4 Phase 4 – Atlas.ti – A Network View .................................................................................... 132
6.6 Business Benefits – Good News Stories.................................................................................. 134
6.7 Theoretical and Contextual Considerations ......................................................................... 136
CHAPTER 7 ..................................................................................................................................... 140
6.8 Summary ............................................................................................................................................. 138
DEVELOPMENT AND REFINEMENT OF THE ....................................................................... 140

POLICE SYSTEM ACCEPTANCE TOOLKIT (P-SAT) ............................................................ 140

7.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................... 140
7.2 Toolkit Development Process .................................................................................................... 141
7.2.1 Developing Models for Piloting/Conceptual Development ........................................ 142
7.2.2 Definitions and Descriptive Text for Figure 18: Conceptual Model Pilot Version 1
........................................................................................................................................................................ 148
7.2.3 Definitions and Descriptive Text for Figure 19: P-SAT Process Pilot Version 1 150
7.3 Piloting Process ................................................................................................................................ 152
7.3.1 Analysing Stakeholders’ Feedback ....................................................................................... 153
7.3.2 Definitions and Descriptive Text for Figure 21: Conceptual Model Post Pilot
Version 2 ..................................................................................................................................................... 161
7.3.3 Definitions and Descriptive Text for Figure 22: P-SAT Process Post Pilot Version
2 ...................................................................................................................................................................... 165
7.4 Theoretical Insights to Conceptualisation and Model Development ......................... 168
CHAPTER 8 ..................................................................................................................................... 171
7.5 Summary ............................................................................................................................................. 169
BUILDING THEORY FROM CASE STUDY RESEARCH......................................................... 171

8.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................... 171
8.2 Articulating Theory Construction ............................................................................................. 171
8.2.1 Theory Development Process ................................................................................................. 173
8.3 P-SAT Theoretical Propositions ................................................................................................ 174
8.4 Requirements for a Theory ......................................................................................................... 177
8.5 Literature Verification and Validation of P-SAT ................................................................. 181
8.6 Summary ............................................................................................................................................. 185
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CHAPTER 9 ..................................................................................................................................... 186
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION ............................................................................................... 186

9.1 Fulfilling the Aims and Objectives of this Research .......................................................... 186
9.2 Major Themes and Interpretations .......................................................................................... 187
9.3 Future Implications for Police Practice, Theory and Research Design ..................... 189
9.4 Original Research Contribution ................................................................................................. 192
9.5 Research Limitations and Delimitations ................................................................................ 193

9.6 Closing Comments ........................................................................................................................... 194
AUTHOR PUBLICATIONS - APPENDICES .............................................................................. 207
(1) Eastern Region PND Release 1 Drop 2 Report ........................................................... 207

(2) National PND Release 1 Post-Implementation Review Report ............................ 219

(3) National PND Release 1 Post-Implementation Review Lessons .......................... 236

(4) Post-Implementation Review Release 2 Drop 1 Methodology ............................ 238

(5) Findings of the Post – Implementation Review - Focus Groups ........................... 242

(6) PND Good News Stories Report ....................................................................................... 250

(7) The Challenges and Complexities of Implementing and Evaluating the Benefits

of an IT System: The UK Police National Database (Research Paper) ...................... 257

(8) Exploring System Transition in the Police Organisation: The Case of the UK

Police National Database (Research Paper) ...................................................................... 273
(9) PND Post-implementation Review Eastern Region Questionnaires .................. 291

(10) PND Post-implementation Review Interview Schedule Questions .................. 306

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