France's Police Software Fiasco: €257 Million Spent on Unusable System

The French Court of Auditors (Cour des comptes) has unveiled a scathing report detailing an 'incredible fiasco' surrounding the development of a police software project, code-named Scribe and later XPN. The project, intended to modernize police procedures, has reportedly cost the French state €257.4 million and is deemed unusable. The 500-page report, dated October 16, 2025, and revealed in early December 2025, highlights significant technical and organizational dysfunctions.

A Decade of Development and Dysfunctions

The software project, initially launched in 2015 under the name Scribe, aimed to replace existing police and gendarmerie procedure writing tools. However, the gendarmerie withdrew from the project in 2016, citing risks associated with merging the two systems. Despite this, the project continued under the sole direction of the Direction générale de la police nationale (DGPN) without a redefinition of its scope. The Court of Auditors' report describes the project as having 'poorly defined content' and 'fragmented governance' that led to a dilution of responsibilities.

Technical Failures Render Software Unusable

The core issue rendering the software unusable stems from severe technical limitations. Police officers reportedly required 17 mouse clicks simply to save a PDF file. Furthermore, the system was incapable of saving PDF files exceeding 5 megabytes, forcing officers to degrade image quality, which in turn made them 'inexploitable by magistrates'. The report also cited frequent breakdowns, a lack of ergonomics, and general inefficiencies as major flaws. Capgemini, the principal service provider, reportedly received over €8 million for a tool that was technically unviable and admitted to a failure in its advisory and warning duties.

Accountability and Financial Irregularities

The Court of Auditors' investigation pointed to 'significant accounting irregularities' and a 'non-compliance with budgetary monitoring rules'. The report ultimately concluded a 'serious fault' leading to a 'significant financial prejudice'. While 16 individuals were initially implicated, the ordinance holds six high-ranking officials responsible for 'lack of supervision'. These include two former Directors General of the National Police (between 2014 and 2020), a technology advisor, a gendarmerie general, and two Secretaries General of the Ministry of Interior (between 2015 and 2020). The project's coordination committee, meant to meet monthly, convened only five times until 2017, with no further meetings thereafter. Police unions have expressed exasperation, highlighting the 'suffering of investigation' due to the lack of adequate digital tools.