Met Police IT strategy: CCTV footage shared through Box

The Metropolitan Police Service of London has adopted Box for cloud-based storage and to share access to CCTV video footage.

The police service, which covers the Greater London area and its 8.6 million residents, will use up to 50,000 Box seats across the organisation to manage content in the cloud as it drives towards Digital Policing.

The Met has identified multiple use-cases for Box, such as providing a central online location for CCTV footage, making it easier to search and share valuable evidence without the need to travel to local authorities or manage physical media such as DVDs or USBs.

In January 2016, the Met Police hired Angus McCallum as its new CIO to drive forward its Digital Policing arm and transformation plans.

The strategy, published in the One Met: Digital policing strategy 2017-2020 document, states: “The Digital Policing focus for the next three years is providing effective services for our 45,000 users and every member of the public, all within current financial constraints. 

“Our aim is to give every customer the best possible technology experience, from our Police Officers working in stations and on the street, to members of the public who want to engage with us in new ways. It is our responsibility to deploy the right technology and to increase the speed and efficiency of delivery.”

The strategy document specifies CCTV access as one of the goals, making the Box contract one of the early deliverables from this strategy. “We will enable easier access to digital data sources, such as CCTV. This will allow more effective prevention and response to crime,” said McCallum.

“By choosing Box, we’re transforming how we access content across the force, making us much more effective and efficient, which is absolutely critical when working on the frontline of law enforcement,” he added.