A police system that allows UK forces to manage and share information on large and complex cases has been improved to better cater for multiple investigations.

The system, known as the Home Office Large Major Enquiry System 2 (HOLMES2), is run by supplier Unisys.

A new "tagging" functionality gives users the ability to tag information related to multiple offences in an investigation – so a witness statement that relates to various offences can be viewed when accessing information on any of those offences.

In tests of the enhanced system, Unisys said experienced users found a 40 per cent improvement in response times when they searched for information across different investigations.

Jon Stoddart, chief constable of Durham Constabulary, said developing the system has been a major achievement.

“Our officers rely on HOLMES2 to collate and analyse information quickly and effectively, and the new cross-force capabilities will allow us all to take a more joined-up approach to policing, which can only be a positive step towards tackling crime,” he said.

Other developments include enhancements to the way in which users can search, organise and export results and the ability to link different investigations and connect inquiries among different police forces.

Over the past 10 years, the original HOLMES system has been used in about half of all UK murder investigations and to help identify British citizens involved in the 9/11 terrorist attack.

There are now 4,300 licensed HOLMES2 users across all police forces in the UK, with around 9,500 desktop systems configured to run HOLMES2.

In September 2008, the National Policing Improvement Agency awarded Unisys a three-year contract extension to continue to provide support and maintenance for the HOLMES2 system.