PULSE Flatlining

national | crime and justice | other press

Saturday January 22, 2005 14:52

by eeekkkk

Maybe someone should recommend Oscailt as a replacement

From Evxaminer.ie

c/p as registration required

22/01/05

€61m garda PULSE system has ‘collapsed’
By Noel Baker
THE garda PULSE computer system has “collapsed”, a district court has heard.
It follows claims that the PULSE system, which has cost €61 million since it was introduced in November 1999, is creaking under the weight of information it has to process and that it is more of a hindrance than a help to gardaí.
Judge John Neilan told Mullingar District Court that gardaí had been forced to resort to hand-written documents due to problems with PULSE a view backed by gardaí.
"Gardaí have to re-write all the new charges," Judge Neilan said. "They are telling me PULSE has collapsed. If that's the case, somebody has to take the blame."
A senior member of the Garda Representative Association (GRA) said problems with PULSE were causing a backlog in the number of cases being brought to court.

Garda Chris Lee, a member of the Central Executive Committee of the GRA in Longford and Westmeath, said the flaws in the system had been discussed at garda management level in Phibsboro prior to Christmas.
He claimed that PULSE had crashed for up to a day-and- a-half in the past.
"We have lots of problems, particularly in relation to charge sheets," he said. "The whole system is interlinked so if there's any slight breakdown at all, then everything breaks down.
"Nowadays you cannot make out the charge sheets as such, it is supposed to come through the system and on numerous occasions that hasn't happened.
"Some members, out of pure frustration, have resorted to the old system of making out charge sheets because they need them as a matter of urgency," he said. The Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors said they were aware of the "frustrations" of their members caused by PULSE.
A spokesman said the issue had been raised "many times" with the Garda Commissioner and the Justice Minister.
The GRA urged Mr McDowell to plough additional funds into PULSE. "It was supposed to make life easier and it certainly hasn't succeeded in doing that," GRA spokesman PJ Stone said.
A spokesman for the Department of Justice said it was "never the intention" that all garda stations would be networked to PULSE and that technology was always under review.

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