Manchester's Digital Reckoning: Can New Tech Heal Old Wounds?

MANCHESTER, England – December 01, 2025 – For Greater Manchester Police (GMP), one of the UK's largest police forces, the recent announcement of a partnership with tech firm Mark43 is far more than a routine IT upgrade. It’s a high-stakes gamble to exorcise the ghosts of a catastrophic system failure that crippled the force, damaged public trust, and left vulnerable people at risk. The selection of Mark43 to deliver a new cloud-native Records Management System (RMS) represents a critical turning point, a moment of reckoning that will define the future of policing in the region for years to come.

This isn't just about launching a new product; it's about rebuilding a foundation. GMP's decision moves beyond a simple press release, signaling a desperate need for a lifeline after a period of intense turmoil and public scrutiny.

The Lingering Shadow of iOPS

To understand the significance of the Mark43 deal, one must first look back at the spectacular failure of its predecessor. In July 2019, GMP launched its Integrated Operational Policing System (iOPS), a £27 million platform intended to modernize its operations. Instead, it plunged the force into chaos. The system, particularly its PoliceWorks records management component supplied by Capita, was plagued with issues from day one.

Officers on the front line described the system as "unworkable" and "frightening." Reports surfaced of a "whirling spiral of death" on computer screens as officers spent hours battling slow, unresponsive software instead of policing communities. The consequences were devastating. A 2020 report by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary, Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) revealed that the system's failings led to an estimated 80,000 crimes going unrecorded in a single year—a staggering one in five of all reported offenses. Referrals to child protection and domestic abuse services plummeted, leaving the most vulnerable exposed to potential harm. The crisis was so severe that GMP was placed in special measures.

For frontline staff, the experience was demoralizing. Confidence in the technology collapsed, and many felt blamed for backlogs and systemic failures they had repeatedly warned about. The inability to quickly access critical information, such as the criminal history of dangerous offenders, created palpable fear for officer and public safety. In March 2022, Chief Constable Stephen Watson made the decisive move to scrap the PoliceWorks system, but the road to a replacement has been long, including a failed procurement process before the eventual selection of Mark43.

A Cloud-Native Lifeline

Against this backdrop of failure, Mark43 arrives with the promise of a fundamentally different approach. The company's platform is cloud-native, a term that signifies more than just a shift in data storage. It promises scalability, resilience, and constant evolution without the disruptive downtime that characterized legacy systems. For a force like GMP, this means upgrades can happen seamlessly in the background, ensuring officers are never again cut off from their most critical tool.

The new RMS is designed to streamline workflows and slash the administrative burden that has kept officers tethered to their desks. “We are honored to have been selected by Greater Manchester Police to deliver this mission-critical system,” said Bob Hughes, CEO of Mark43, in the official announcement. He noted that the move reflects the UK's broader commitment to cloud-native tools, which are seen as essential for modernizing law enforcement.

Unlike the rigid, siloed architecture of the past, Mark43’s system is built for connectivity. Its mobile-first design means officers can write reports, access case files, and share real-time intelligence directly from their devices in the field. This capability directly addresses one of the core failures of iOPS: the inability to get information to officers when and where it was needed most. As Matt Polega, Mark43 UK's President, stated, the goal is to work “hand-in-hand with Greater Manchester Police to ensure the system meets the unique needs of officers and staff.”

From Desk Duty to Community Presence

The ultimate measure of this new system's impact will not be in its code, but on the streets of Greater Manchester. The core promise of this technological shift is the reallocation of police time from administrative drudgery to proactive community engagement. Case studies from other police forces in the United States using Mark43's technology report dramatic reductions in report-writing time—in some cases by as much as 80%. Translating that efficiency to a force the size of GMP could unlock thousands of hours of police time, enabling more visible patrols, faster investigations, and better support for victims.

This is not merely a question of efficiency; it is about restoring the core function of policing. When officers are bogged down by dysfunctional software, the bond with the community they serve frays. By empowering them with tools that work intuitively and reliably, the force hopes to improve not only response times but also officer morale, which took a significant hit during the iOPS crisis. A system that allows a detective to access a report in real-time rather than waiting days, or enables a patrol officer to check a suspect’s history instantly from their vehicle, fundamentally changes the dynamic of police work, making it more informed, effective, and safer.

The High Cost of Getting It Right

While the potential benefits are clear, the path forward is fraught with pressure. The implementation of a new RMS is a monumental undertaking, and the timeline—with a projected go-live date in Spring 2027—underscores the complexity. GMP cannot afford another misstep. The financial investment, while not publicly disclosed, is undoubtedly substantial, and taxpayers will be watching closely to see if this expenditure finally delivers the promised results.

Furthermore, the issue of data security looms large. GMP has previously been reprimanded by the Information Commissioner's Office for poor data handling practices. Entrusting its entire records system to a cloud provider, even a secure one, requires a massive leap of faith and a robust governance framework to protect sensitive citizen data. The success of this partnership hinges not just on Mark43’s technology but on GMP's ability to manage this transition effectively, ensuring comprehensive training, user adoption, and stringent data protection protocols.

The partnership between GMP and Mark43 is therefore a bellwether for the future of UK policing. It is a test case for whether modern, cloud-based technology can truly overcome the entrenched challenges of legacy systems and institutional inertia. For the citizens and officers of Greater Manchester, the hope is that this new chapter will finally close the book on a dark period of technological failure and usher in an era of more effective, responsive, and trusted policing.