ABSTRACT – Recent economic decline and further predicted decrease in certain countries in Europe have forced their governments into employing important measures to protect its economies. The government reduction in spending as part of her measures has indeed been proposed by the United Kingdom (UK). The UK Metropolitan Police (UMP), an arm of the government, has been hit by these cuts in capital allocations leading to reduction in its proposed budgets and expenditures. Hence an effective use and management of Information Communication Technology (ICT) and its resources while delivering efficient and better police service is of high importance to the UK Metropolitan Police. The Internet provides a more interactive and effective means of disseminating information within its users, but maintaining availability now pose a major challenge of complexity and scalability with increasing operational cost. Cloud Computing technology has helped overcome some of these challenges by making use of the internet and a remote resource centre to manage computer infrastructures, applications and allow users on-demand access to any of these services. Its scalability, simplicity, availability and flexibility do bring a better approach to police services. This research explores the different applications of cloud computing technology in improving Metropolitan police services while reducing their operational cost.
Keywords; Cloud computing, Information communication technology (ICT), UK Metropolitan Police (UMP), Police services.
