Greater Manchester Police using paper to record data after computer error

Greater Manchester Police said officers could still view all information in the system

Officers from Greater Manchester Police are being forced to work on paper because of a computer error.

The problem came about on Tuesday (4 February), during a planned upgrade to the force’s computer system, iOPS.

The force has said that the issue has now been resolved, as of 1pm on Thursday (6 February).

The error had been affecting part of the system called PoliceWorks, which is used by officers to input data.

Greater Manchester Police said officers could still view all information in the system, but admitted officers had been“using paper to record data.”

The force said the malfunction did had an impact on response times, and that there was “minimal impact to the service provided to the public.”

Greater Manchester Police said on Thursday: "The issue we had with iOPS, PoliceWorks, yesterday has now been resolved and access is available to all users across the force. Our suppliers have worked tirelessly to rectify the issue and continue to rectify any problems officers are experiencing in the live version.

"The contingency plans used over the last two days have included officers reverting to work on paper. This is an effective way of recording information and is something officers do on a daily basis in addition to using the system.

"The resilience and hard work of GMP officers has meant there has been minimal impact to the service we provide to the public."

A previous statement from the force on Wednesday (5 February) said: “There was a planned upgrade to GMP’s computer system, PoliceWorks, which unfortunately on implementation identified some data inputting system errors.

“Greater Manchester Police continues to work closely with suppliers to resolve the issue with our system, iOPS. The intermittent problems have not been resolved and this remains as a critical incident. Our contingency plans remain effective and we are managing the risks to ensure our response to the public remains unchanged.

“Our suppliers are working tirelessly to restore the system to full functionality, and we will be providing regular updates to partner agencies to maintain collaborative working.”