Police in Queensland, Australia, are releasing some criminals on bail rather than holding them in custody. The new computer records system is so slow and convoluted, officers are even reluctant to make arrests for fear of having to use the application.

According to The Courier Mail, the $100 million system is supposed to replace 230 old software programs, many of which were incompatible. But is this new tool compatible with the idea of swift justice? The article quotes the police union vice president:

“There was an occasion where two people were arrested on multiple charges. It took six detectives more than six hours to enter the details into QPRIME,” he said. “It would have taken even longer to do the summary to go to court the next morning, so basically the suspects were released on bail, rather than kept in custody.”

It seems surreal that such a system could fail so tremendously, but The Methodology Blog has chronicled similar problems in large scale, criminal justice software applications several times before. Massive, system-wide organizational change is incredibly difficult. These efforts often create a productivity paradox like the one experienced in by Queensland police, where the system intended to save time actually requires more time.

Slaughter Development does not sell or build giant, one-size-fits-all software applications. Instead, we conduct Workplace Diagnostics to help companies identify ways to improve the flow of work. If you are already burdened by a slow, counterproductive new system, we offer Service Integration to help you capitalize on existing tools, processes and skills more effectively. Your challenges may not be a $100 million dollar foul up, but if you believe there is a better way, consider reaching out to Slaughter Development.

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