New Police National Database to provide greater protection for the public
The parents of murdered schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman have welcomed the introduction of a powerful new tool to help UK police and other crime-fighting organisations protect the public more effectively.
Launched today, the Police National Database (PND) allows forces to share and access locally held intelligence and information, enabling them to see the full intelligence picture immediately, identify patterns of criminal behaviour much earlier, and take action more quickly.
The PND fulfils the primary recommendation of Lord Michael Bichard’s inquiry into the failings in police intelligence sharing which led to the Soham murders in 2002. Lord Bichard urged that a national IT system to support police intelligence sharing in England and Wales should be introduced as a matter of urgency. The PND replaces a basic interim system brought in shortly after he reported.
NPIA chief executive Nick Gargan said: “We know that child abusers, drug dealers and terrorists don’t respect force boundaries, but in many cases forces have been conducting their investigations in isolation, unable to see everything the police service knows about a suspect and unable to make fully informed decisions. The PND pulls together all that local knowledge and allows investigators to see the full intelligence picture. As a result, they can react far more quickly and effectively when it comes to protecting the public.
“Until now this information had to be shared manually, a fallible and sometimes bureaucratic process dependent on the right staff being able to access and share the relevant files, which could take up to two weeks. Enabling the police to identify offenders like Ian Huntley earlier means we stand a much better chance of preventing others like him slipping through the net again.
“Many people will be surprised to know that the police service has not had this capability for many years – the good news is that they have it now.”
In partnership with the police service and technology and service company Logica, and funded by the Home Office, the NPIA started implementation of the PND on time, and the programme will be completed well under budget.
Over the last few months the NPIA has been rolling out the national system to police forces and law enforcement agencies across the UK. And it is already producing some important results. New information has been revealed about:
- A known northern-based organised crime group, involved in firearms offences, kidnapping and extortion, were found to be operating in the south of the country. This new intelligence is being used by the operation team to monitor offending patterns and assist arrests;
- An AWOL soldier, wanted in connection with an alleged theft, was found to be involved with a notorious, violent group of football supporters. This intelligence is now being used to support an arrest and produce a Football Banning Order; and
- A serious and organised drugs offender operating across a number of northern police forces.
The national system is also playing a valuable role in safeguarding children and vulnerable adults. In one case, information was revealed that an alleged child sex offender is currently living with a new partner and her child, whilst in another example a force was able to respond immediately to new information about a domestic violence victim.
The PND is the most secure national police system developed to date, and only authorised and vetted users will have access to the system. Special access controls ensure that users only have access to information that they require for their particular policing roles and there are extensive auditing systems in place to deter misuse.
Sharon and Les Chapman, parents of Jessica, said: “It is very important to us that something constructive and encouraging is borne out of the loss of our precious daughter and her dear friend.
“The PND’s arrival, and the hard work by the NPIA and forces which has gone into making sure it has happened, gives us some comfort. We hope its use will mean other families don’t suffer the same loss and heartbreak as we did. We know it won’t necessarily stop tragedies like this happening again, but it does mean that offenders will be caught quicker and stopped sooner in their criminal careers.”
Holly Wells’ parents Nicola and Kevin Wells said: “The PND is a superb investigation tool which could well change the face of policing, and we very much welcome its introduction. It is heartening to know that because of Holly and Jessica, the vulnerable in our society will be better protected and those criminals who have previously used force borders as a shield will find it harder to hide and avoid detection.
“It means a great deal to us that Lord Bichard’s recommendations have been taken so seriously, and that the NPIA and the police service have worked so hard to make it happen. This is a significant moment for the NPIA, the police and for us.”
Lord Bichard said: “I chaired the Soham Inquiry into the murders of Holly and Jessica and, coming fresh to that situation, I was surprised by some of the things that I found. One of the things that surprised me the most was the fact that police forces in this country were not able to exchange information routinely and electronically on individuals, and of course one of the reasons why Ian Huntley remained free in the end to murder those two girls was that the police service wasn’t able to share the information on him. I was shocked by that and one of the most important recommendations from the inquiry was that we did something about it as quickly as possible, and from that the Police National Database was born.
“I think one of the problems when you talk about huge IT projects is that people forget the history. They see it as a somewhat cold system improvement. Actually this derived from the death of two young girls and we should never forget the reasons why we are doing this and just how important it is.”
Craig Boundy, CEO of Logica, said: "The Police National Database will become an essential tool that will make a big difference to policing in the UK. Providing all police forces with easy access to key information from right around the country means that their vital role will become a lot easier. This has been a hugely important project for Logica and our partners because we have helped to deliver a system that will make a real difference in protecting the most vulnerable people in society."
Notes to Editors
1. The Wells and the Chapman families do not wish to speak to the media. Any queries regarding the families, or further information about the Police National Database, should be directed to the NPIA press office on 0203 113 7241/ 7240/ 7226.
2. The PND does not create new information; it copies existing locally-held intelligence and information from police forces’ crime, intelligence, custody, domestic violence and child abuse databases.
3. The NPIA carried out a Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) to address privacy and civil liberty issues on behalf of the police service. Nearly 100 organisations with an interest in privacy, including all English and Welsh police forces, were consulted and the PIA was posted on the NPIA website for public comment. 17 responses were received from a narrow range of organisations - 15 from police forces, police authorities or police related associations, one from the Information Commissioner’s Office and one from the Welsh Language Board. The concerns covered access to data, data quality and its interpretation, the sensitivity of some information and the retention of data.
4. Following an ACPO directive, and after consultation with the service, it was agreed that victim information should be shared only where there was a demonstrable link to the ‘safeguarding agenda’; crimes listed in schedules 3 and 5 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 (those for which it is possible for a court to grant a sexual offences prevention order, including serious crimes of violence e.g. murder, kidnapping, wounding with intent to cause GBH, and sexual offences) provided a list of offences for which victim information should be routinely shared.
5. It was agreed that witness data should not be shared (unless they also fall into the category of associate, suspect or are a victim of the one of the offences listed in schedules 3 and 5 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003).
6. Access to and use of the PND is strictly controlled. Only authorised and appropriately vetted users are able to access the system via a single digital identity using smartcard technology; role-based access controls ensure that users only have access to information that they need for their particular business role and there are extensive auditing systems in place to deter misuse.
7. Under the Data Protection Act 1998, individuals have the right to access personal data held about them on the PND, known as subject access. Anyone wishing to find out what is held about them on PND should contact their local force.
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