Computer bungle wins the Met £25m

Scotland Yard has won a multi-million-pound payment in an out-of-court settlement after a massive computer bungle.

Police chiefs were awarded £25 million after cable company NTL admitted mistakes in setting up a new computer system.

The system was crucial for the Met's new controversial digital radio system, designed to link officers across the capital with the central control room.

The ?2.9 billion Airwave digital system is supposed to provide the police with a secure voice network, and enable officers to file incident details from squad cars. But a recent three-month investigation concluded the system was not working properly.

And the police contract was terminated after only one year when it was revealed that the NTL computer system, which was due to come on line next September, was "full of flaws".

Police sources said NTL admitted a series of mistakes including:

The Met confirmed it had dropped NTL from a seven-year contract to develop a "command and control" system to deploy its 30,000 officers.

A spokesman said: " The Metropolitan Police Authority, has terminated the contract with NTL."

Troubled NTL recently announced plans to sell its £1.2 billion broadcast division to an Australian investment bank.

It refused to comment on losing the Met police contract.