IBM helps Scottish police share knowledge

NEWS Strathclyde Police has chosen IBM's DB2 Universal Database for its corporate information management across eight individual police forces. The system will be used to organise all firearms, crime, resource and personnel data. Strathclyde Police wouldn't disclose the amount it paid for the product but confirmed it is a six-figure contract over a three year period. IBM fought off eight rivals for the contract, including Informix, Microsoft, Oracle and Sybase. Strathclyde Police claimed the IBM product represented the "best value for money". According to the police, the Universal Database can handle most of the service's existing needs, including support for the multiple operating systems that exist across the eight separate organisations. IBM's product is also being used in a Strathclyde pilot application project aimed at promoting more information sharing among the Scottish forces.