Force Information Systems (FIS) held its first annual conference last week, bringing together key stakeholders, partners, and clients from across the Professional Standards sector. The event provided a platform for sharing insights, discussing significant topics such as data quality, and showcasing the upcoming innovative solutions developed by FIS for PSD.
Harris and FIS: A Powerful Partnership
Richard Stubbs, Operations Director, introduced the relationship between FIS and Harris Computer, a Canadian-based software company specializing in mergers and acquisitions of vertical market software companies. With over 230 software companies under its umbrella, 12,000+ employees, and 100,000+ users, Harris has established itself as a major player in the industry. The presentation highlighted how FIS, acquired by Harris in November 2019, fits into this larger ecosystem. Harris’s strategy of “Acquire, Manage, and Build” aligns well with FIS’s goals to modernize key products, drive changes benefiting customers, and expand into new markets.
Chief Constable Craig Guildford: The Importance of Data Quality
A recorded video message from Chief Constable Craig Guildford QPM VR DL, NPCC Lead for Professional Standards and Ethics, was played to open the conference. Chief Constable Guildford underlined the importance of ethics and integrity within Professional Standards, touching on the recent amendments of the Conduct Regulations. The critical role of data quality in supporting the positive changes within policing was also highlighted, with an emphasis on the importance of recording data accurately within Centurion. This set the stage for later discussions on the topic throughout the conference.
FIS: From the Beginning to Now
Alex O’Reilly, FIS R&D and Support Manager, and Nicky Thomas, FIS Senior Manager, took attendees on a journey through FIS’s history, from its founding in 1988 to the present day. Key milestones included:
- The company’s establishment by Martin O’Reilly and Dave McCaddon.
- Early collaborations with ICL/Fujitsu.
- Development of the Windows-based Centurion system in 2004.
- Expansion into vetting, counter-corruption, and legal services.
- The merger with Harris in 2019.
- Recent leadership transitions, including the retirement of long-standing team members.
Documents In The Database
FIS Trainer Tracey Doudie talked about Documents In the Database (DiD), a shift in Centurion technology that involves the move of Centurion documents from the external file system to the Centurion database itself. The presentation underlined the improvements the new approach brings in terms of security and accessibility relating to document management. Tracey presented a video that highlighted the main DiD features within Centurion, such as the creation of ad-hoc folders within Cases, better document management capabilities, and more.
Centurion Web: The Next Generation
One of the conference highlights was the unveiling of Centurion Web, a fully functional, browser-based version of the Centurion application, as showcased by Matthew Keelagher, FIS Senior Development Lead. Key features of Centurion Web include:
- Enhanced accessibility through web browser access
- Reduced IT overhead and easier maintenance
- Increased performance and reliability
- Cross-platform compatibility
- A modern, user-friendly interface
The presentation also outlined plans for piloting Centurion Web in 2024, with a full release expected in 2025.
IOPC and Home Office: Complaint Statistics 2023/2024
Oversight Liaison Kirsty Nottage and Senior Oversight Liaison Simon Timms from the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), as well as Ian Balbi, Head of Discipline Policy Police Integrity Unit, and Hannah Husband, Principal Statistician Police & Fire Analysis Unit from the Home Office, presented the latest published complaint and conduct statistics, reinforcing the importance of data quality and highlighting some key points.
Workshops: Training and Insights
The conference included two interactive workshops for attendees to choose from. The Insights Workshop saw FIS Product Consultant Rachel MacLeod showcase the new Insights tool, discussing important data security and data quality improvements brought by the solution as well as presenting a demonstration of the tool. The Training Workshop allowed FIS Trainer Tracey Doudie to discuss common training-related questions with attendees, as well as the FIS training booking system and other administrative queries.
The Future of FIS
The conference concluded with an insightful presentation on FIS’s future direction, outlining a clear roadmap for the coming months and years. Key points included:
Legislative Compliance:
- FIS reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring Centurion remains fully compliant with legislation.
- Users were strongly encouraged to use the latest version of the software.
- Upcoming changes related to the dismissals review Tranches 2 and 3 were announced for later this year.
12-Month Roadmap: FIS outlined a four-stage plan for the next year:
- Migrate Centurion Oracle forces to SQL Server
- Migrate non-DiD (Documents in Database) forces to the DiD version.
- Transition to the web browser version of Centurion.
- Continue modernizing the web browser application, including API and other functionalities.
Additional near-term goals include:
- Supporting forces in upgrading to the latest version, with older versions becoming redundant and unsupported.
- Rolling out the new Insights tool.
- Beginning the rollout of Centurion Web.
Ongoing Development: FIS emphasized that development never stops, highlighting several exciting projects in the pipeline.
The presentation was followed by a Q&A session, allowing attendees to engage directly with FIS leadership and experts, discussing these future plans and addressing any concerns or questions.
Reflecting on the 2024 FIS Conference: A Successful Conclusion and Look Ahead
The FIS Conference 2024 provided a comprehensive overview of the company’s journey, current offerings, and future aspirations. By bringing together key stakeholders and showcasing innovative solutions like Centurion Web and Insights, FIS demonstrated its commitment to advancing Professional Standards software and improving data quality in policing.
We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to all attendees, speakers, and partners who made this conference a success. Your engagement and insights are invaluable as we continue to innovate and improve our services. We encourage all attendees to refer to the conference PowerPoints presentations and other material, which have been uploaded to the Documents section of the Members Area on the FIS website.
We look forward to working closely with you in the coming year and to welcoming you back at next year’s conference.
