RCMP computer report 'designed to hide,' MP says

CBC News Saturday, May 29, 2010 | 7:48 AM PT

The RCMP says it has figured out what went wrong when it bought two different computer systems that can't communicate with each other, but a Liberal MP from British Columbia says the Mounties' newly released report reads as gobbledegook. The decision to run incompatible computer systems — one purchased for B.C. in 2003 and another for the rest of Canada the following year — is costing taxpayers an extra $9 million every year, according to internal RCMP document obtained by the CBC last year under an Access to Information request. Following complaints, the RCMP conducted an investigation, and the results are now public. But there are new complaints about the report itself. Ujjal Dosanjh said he read it, but it's still impossible to tell what went wrong after the Mounties decided to replace their outdated computer technology with two separate record management systems. "This is clearly designed to hide, not to reveal how the RCMP works," he said.

RCMP spokesman Sgt. Pat Flood cited privacy concerns as to why certain information was not released to the public. "The provisions in the act require us to retain confidentiality so certain information and details, including complainants' names, cannot be made public," he said. More training before large amounts of money are spent. The report lists six "corrective actions" taken since the purchase of the incompatible computer systems. Among them is a measure stating that Mounties in management must now attend courses and complete an exam before being given the authority to spend millions of dollars. The report says the RCMP has made "much progress and undertaken a number of initiatives that have transformed, strengthened and modernized its governance framework." "Central to this, is the RCMP's ongoing development and implementation of a more robust project management/project delivery regime," it says.

Internal documents obtained last year by the CBC showed several officers repeatedly warned senior managers the decision to set up the two systems would cost a fortune and create major hurdles for Mounties trying to share information about cases. One officer felt so strongly about the waste and duplication, he filed a complaint under the federal government's new whistleblower legislation. Under that law, all findings of wrongdoing must be made public, and on Friday the RCMP released on the internet the results of its investigation. In short, it says an unnamed person, at an undisclosed time, spent more than they were authorized to on an unnamed information technology project. The senior manager of the RCMP who was found to have "exceeded their financial authority" has since retired from the force, according to the report.
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B.C. RCMP's separate computer system costs $9M extra per year Monday, April 27, 2009 CBC

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FAQ PRIME BC
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The Audit of the Implementation of PRIME by the RCMP (Revised Final Report February 2008)