Police national database gets go ahead in £75m contract

Police forces will be able to share intelligence data

IT services supplier Logica has won the £75m contract to deliver a new national police database to improve intelligence sharing among forces across the UK.

The Police National Database (PND) is part of the Impact programme that was recommended by the 2004 Bichard Inquiry into the intelligence failures that contributed to Soham killer Ian Huntley being allowed to take a job as a school caretaker before murdering two young girls.

A previous phase of Impact, the cross-regional information sharing project (Crisp), which was meant to be a precursor to the PND, was cancelled in 2007 due to budget cuts. Impact was originally due to be implemented by 2007, but was moved back to 2010.

But the new system will finally allow police forces to electronically share, access and search existing local intelligence and operational information nationally. It will integrate data from five operational areas of policing into one central system – custody, crime, intelligence, child abuse and domestic abuse.

The first phase of the project is due to be rolled out in 2010.

The system is being developed for the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA), whose chief constable Peter Neyroud said the database is a significant milestone for UK police forces.

“Currently, forces are unable to search or access intelligence or other information that is held on another force’s local systems,” he said.

“The Police National Database will enable this by making available nationally copies of locally held information on suspects and criminals; making the public safer by improving the ability of the police service to share operational information and helping the police to stay one step ahead of the criminal population.“