When will the COPS system be upgraded to IPOS to better support victim-survivors of domestic and family violence cases?

Today in Budget Estimates, Abigail questioned the NSW Police Force about the timeline and prioritisation for transitioning from the outdated, single-event COPS system to IPOS, which will have enhanced functionality for linking domestic and family violence cases.

Ms ABIGAIL BOYD: Last estimates I asked about the functionality of the COPS system and the delays in upgrading it to IPOS. I understand that there was a tender put out and we were getting another company on board. Do we have an update on how that's going?

KAREN WEBB (NSW Police Commissioner): I will go to Mr Smith. I think your question, if I'm correct, goes to the recording. Your interest is in the recording of reasons that victims of sexual assault are not recorded. We can't determine that data.

Ms ABIGAIL BOYD: No, there are two different issues.

DEAN SMITH (NSW Police Deputy Commissioner): In terms of where we are with IPOS, yes, you are correct: We are reprioritising and resetting the direction, not approaching it from a single-vendor perspective but with a multi-vendor approach, and looking at how we can build capability across how we can build those systems. In terms of the COPS, we are currently in phase one around undertaking the potential rescoping and timeline of the replacement. Obviously, that was set at 2027. That is pushed out to June 2029 based on where we are currently at. As I said, we are looking at a shelving police system which is capability based, so they are integrated and certainly linked. Where we currently are phasing is around the discovery and options, looking at the analysis and obviously preparing for the request for pricing for that to make sure that is correct.

Ms ABIGAIL BOYD: ... Can I ask you specifically about phase two, which I understand was where we were going to get that domestic and family violence functionality for the IPOS system. When is phase two happening?

DEAN SMITH: I cannot give you an answer today. I can take that on notice in terms of when it is.

Ms ABIGAIL BOYD: Will it be after 2029, then, if phase one is—

DEAN SMITH: No, it will not be after 2029, but I will get you the phasing and the road map to do that and what that looks like. I'll be able to give you those details.

Ms ABIGAIL BOYD: Okay. I think we had some confusion last time in estimates. I was asking about coercive control and the lack of readiness of the system to cope with coercive control. I think the answer I got back was "We have put a field in for coercive control," which was not the question. So just to clarify, under the Auditor-General's April 2022 report, she points out: COPS is single event oriented. To identify whether individuals have been involved in prior domestic and family violence events, police must manually search through narrative summaries associated with other events. She goes into some detail about how difficult it then is to string together events, which would be vital to be able to more effectively and efficiently work out coercive control evidence, and build an offence from that. Is there a priority being put on that part of the functionality under the IPOS upgrade?

KAREN WEBB: I think that the COPS system, although it is single event based, it is a record system that records both the victim particulars, and offender and witness particulars. So if you search the system based on a victim particular, it will bring up all events related to that victim. It can be collated.

Ms ABIGAIL BOYD: That's not what the Auditor-General's report says. She says: Police advise that connections between events or individuals are not displayed as automated alerts, and they must manually scroll and search for relational aspects or patterns of domestic and family violence.

KAREN WEBB: That's right. It doesn't pop up and say, "This victim and this offender have commonality in five events on the system." But if I search a victim, it brings up a whole list of things I can look at.

Ms ABIGAIL BOYD: But you agree that the functionality is not there in the way that the Auditor-General—

KAREN WEBB: In terms of matching, if that is what you are asking?

Ms ABIGAIL BOYD: Yes.

KAREN WEBB: Not readily.

Ms ABIGAIL BOYD: So Minister, given that we've now put in place the coercive control offence, will there now be a focus on improving that part of the IPOS system in phase one, rather than having to wait till phase two?

Ms YASMIN CATLEY (Minister for Police and Counter-Terrorism): I'll get advice from Mr Smith in relation to the road map.

30 August 2024

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