The Western Australian Government has handed $113 million to the state’s police force over four years to revamp its ICT infrastructure.
Detailed in the state’s 2011-2012 budget announced this week, the funding would largely be allocated toward revamping the force’s investigative case and licensing management systems. The department would also look to new storage infrastructure as a means of handling the rapid increases in the amount of digital data collected.
Western Australian state treasurer and attorney-general, Christian Porter, said in presenting the budget speech that the funding move was in support of providing “modern policing techniques” with increased intelligence basis for crime reduction.
Some $90.5 million had been allocated in this year’s state budget for ICT continuity and development of core business systems slated to occur over the next four years.
“The ICT Infrastructure Replacement and Continuity program is designed to maintain a reliable and robust ICT infrastructure to provide an ongoing 24/7 response to crime and community demands across regional areas as well as the Perth metropolitan area,” departmental budget papers read.
“The ICT Core Business Systems Development program allows Western Australia Police to make significant inroads into new and improved business systems to enhance the existing and new policing business practices.”
In detailing continuing ICT works in progress, the department noted a spend of $8.2 million so far on major ICT projects including [[Artnid:379168|replacing its regional network under a scheme expected to cost $71 million, and a $7.1 million project to expand core systems.
The regional radio network replacement scheme, due to finish in 2013, was in its final phase, according to the department, with hopes the new digital network would provide easier communication over the 2.5 million square kilometres the department counts in its jurisdiction.
Part of the department’s continuity projects also included a $15.4 million, three-year deal with CSC to outsource its mainframe infrastructure.
The state government has also continued on its $120 million bent to fill mobile blackspots and help to replace emergency communications networks across the state.
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