The police in Hessen, Germany have caused a national stir by implementing the country’s largest ever Unix system – and without the help of former ally Siemens Nixdorf Informationssysteme AG. After working together for two and a half years, the two parted company about a year ago because according to Computerwoche, Siemens Nixdorf proved to have insufficient technical experience in the data processing sense. The police used a get-out clause to free themselves, and Siemens Nixdorf lost a contract worth at least a million Deutsche Marks. The group was originally supposed to supply the first lot of hardware – four Unix servers and 700 personal computers – but the concept of client-server computing was later rejected as being too complicated. Maintenance and support costs were also felt to be too high. The whole project was subsequently re-worked by Kiedrich-based Ploenzke AG. The aim of the new office and administrative system, Hepolas, is to improve standard police procedures. Each department will be able to carry out about 80 typical tasks on each computer, including making out charges or drawing up reports on traffic accidents. This means that, in future, all departments will execute their tasks in a standard way – and, it is claimed, in a fraction of the time. Frankfurt is currently acting as the test site, and while full automation is expected to take about a year, the first system went live in the Hofheim area last week. Some 650 of a total 3,000 machines are now in place, with Network Computing Devices Inc’s X-terminals linked to 50 Motorola Inc series 8000 Unix-based departmental servers. Siemens Nixdorf didn’t loose out completely though – it won the bid to supply 650 HP 4819 laser printers. Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire-based Uniplex Ltd will supply the office automation software, while applications software is currently being developed by Tubingen-based Integrata AG along with certain other unnamed software partners. The police do hope to take over such work later on, however. In addition to the above, two Motorola 8640s will undertake data protection and communications management across the region. Hepolas should also enable users to communicate with the Hepolis mainframe. This is based in Wiesbaden and stores regional data on criminal offences and where criminal acts have taken place. Hepolis, in turn, provides access to the national police computer or to other sources of data, such as the central register on foreigners in Cologne. Access is, however, restricted to high ranking officers. But the Hessen police force doesn’t intend to stop there. It also hopes to build its own X25 network based on TCP/IP protocols to link up each of the regional computers as well as the Hepolis mainframe.
