Focus on police IT failures
Following Sir Michael Bichard’s identification of key IT failings in Humberside Police, attention has turned to the recommendation for a national intelligence sharing system.
Shadow Home Secretary, David Davis, said: “Every police force and social service should read and learn lessons of this report.”
“Sir Michael is also critical of the Humberside Police IT practices, and the lack of a national police IT system. It does not say whether the problems of Humberside are replicated in other forces – although I suspect they might be.
“Neither does it deal with a problem we all know about – that Whitehall in general, and the Home Office in particular, have a very poor track record of implementation of computer systems.
Mr Davis suggested that Sir Michael should be commissioned to review to the IT systems to all of the 43 police forces to establish what extent the failures identified in Cambridgeshire are replicated elsewhere.
Secondly, that the new intelligence sharing system announced by Mr Blunkett should either be based on best practise or on the operational Scottish system.
Since 1992 Scotland has had an IT system which allows police officers to check whether other forces hold information on a suspect they are interested in. From next year they will be able to check the details of information held.
Turning to the recommendation of a register for all those wishing to work with children, Mr Davis said that a careful balance must be struck in ensuring that whilst child protection is ensured careers are not ended by false allegations.
The possibility of career wrecking false allegations was central to the concerns of teachers’ union NASUWT. Acting general secretary Chris Keates said: “I particularly welcome the recommendation for a clear, national code of practice to be issued to all police forces on record creation, review, retention, deletion and sharing.
“This recommendation is crucial. Many teachers fall victim to false and malicious allegations. Information on such claims has been recorded in an inconsistent and ad hoc manner by some local police forces and then inappropriately passed to employers. In some cases this has led to teachers losing their livelihood.”
He said the union had no fundamental objects to the establishment of a national registration process for those wanting to work with children, but said the process would need close examination.
Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Mark Oaten said: “This damning report highlights the fact that while the rest of us are in the age of the Internet, the police are stuck in the age of the paperclip.
“The Home Secretary has some explaining to do over why he abandoned plans for a national police intelligence database in 2000. He must also learn from the Scottish forces about how to run a modern police service equipped with the latest technology.”
The president of the Association of Chief Police Officers, Chris Fox, said that they are working closely with the IT infrastructure, including the creation of a central intelligence database.
In addition they recommend that that IT and intelligence handling become part of the baseline assessments made of police forces.
However, Mr Fox hinted that funding still remained the central reason why better systems are not in place.
He said: “Over the last ten years, ACPO has experienced great difficulty in trying to procure national IT systems, and without the funding available, has had to make hard choices. The legal complexities and varying legal duties on different parts of the police and criminal justice system has further complicated this process. The recommendation to review how IT is procured is extremely welcome if it means that the system will be simplified.”
