13 A review on behalf of the Association of Chief Police Officers concluded that, for the English and Welsh forces only, Airwave will involve additional expenditure of some £300 million over the contract period when compared against a series of less ambitious, locally procured systems. During the procurement, many police authorities considered that Airwave was prohibitively expensive, with some claiming they might need to reduce officer numbers in order to pay for the new service. The extra cost has been justified on the grounds that Airwave has the potential to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the police. Prior to the development of a full business case, police forces were asked to examine the potential impact of a new radio service on their efficiency. The results indicated that around 37 per cent of uniformed officers' time is spent in the police station. By reducing the need to return to the station for activities such as data checks and telephone calls, Airwave is expected to bring about at least a 10 per cent saving in time spent in the police station.
14 This early research might have been built on sooner. Although there was a clear intention to seek additional benefits, further work was not progressed until after contract signature as there were insufficient staff available to PITO at the time. In 2001, PITO established a Business Benefits Steering Group to develop a learning package that will allow police forces to implement Airwave in such a way that benefits will be achieved. But disentangling the effects on police performance due solely to Airwave will be difficult, as numerous other initiatives aimed at improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the police are also being implemented by PITO at the same time.