Inquiry could result in a new police database

Another national database is one of the measures being considered by the Bichard Inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the employment of Soham murderer Ian Huntley.

The proposed system would hold data on allegations and intelligence, to complement the existing Police National Computer (PNC), which holds details of convictions and cautions.

If the plan goes ahead it will join a growing list of plans for major public sector databases (Computing, 12 February).

There are already problems with the quality of data on the PNC, so another database could face similar issues, Superintendents' Association president Kevin Morris told Computing.

PNC data can be out of date because the system relies on individual forces updating it with each conviction - and some forces are quicker than others.

'The answer to everything isn't just to put it on a computer, it is a question of management of information,' said Morris.

'If we can't get data onto PNC quickly enough, when there is an actual decision to record, what hope is there with this database?'

The Home Office says the question of a new national database rests with the Bichard Inquiry.

The department has recently concluded pilots of the Police Local Cross-Reference (PLX) system to identify whether local police forces hold intelligence data on Criminal Record Bureau (CRB) search subjects.

If plans for a national allegations database do go ahead, the PLX would potentially act as the gateway for the CRB, says the Home Office.