§ Mr. Fabian HamiltonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the value for money represented by the full funding of the 19 year contract for the Public Safety Radio Communications System in all police forces. [132377]
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§ Mr. Charles ClarkeThe Public Safety Radio Communication Service is designed to replace the current range of force-specific radio systems with a national service which meets the needs of modern-day policing.
Throughout the planning stages, as well as the contract negotiations, every effort has been made to keep the costs of the service down. The Police Information Technology Organisation (PITO), which is responsible for managing the Police Service Radio Communications Project (PSRCP), has regularly challenged and validated earlier assumptions and plans. Mechanisms such as benchmarking have been built into the main service contract to help ensure that both initial and future services remain Value For Money. Both the Association of Chief Police Officers and the Association of Police Authorities have concluded that the PSRCP meets technical requirements and offers value for money at a national level.