A key police intelligence sharing system is likely to be
scrapped because of budgetary constraints, the head of the agency
in charge of police IT strategy has warned.
Peter Neyroud, chief executive of the National Policing
Improvement Agency, said the Cross Regional Information Sharing
Project (Crisp), which was due to be implemented this summer as an
interim system to help police forces share intelligence, would
probably not continue.
Instead, the government is likely to focus resources on
developing a Police National Database to share intelligence, which
will not come into force until 2010.
"The Home Office is in an extremely difficult position, as am I,
to meet the delivery of both the Police National Database and
Crisp, given the current budget," said Neyroud.
Ministers are ultimately responsible for the decision on the
continuation of Crisp, but Neyroud said that unless additional
funding was found, the urgency to deploy the Police National
Database would come at the expense of Crisp.
However, Neyroud said that efforts to standardise data in
preparation for Crisp would not be wasted.
"The efforts forces have undertaken in formatting their data is
not wasted as it will enable the transfer of information between
forces far more seamlessly," he said.
The Bichard Inquiry of 2004 concluded that the 43 polices forces
in the UK needed a uniform approach to the IT systems they use.
The NPIA in conjunction with the Association of Chief Police
Officers (ACPO) and the Association of Police Authorities (APA)
will have the ability to make recommendations to ministers to make
local forces adhere to national IT strategies. Ministers have
powers to enforce recommendations in exceptional circumstances.
"This [power] is a weapon of last resort, and we will choose the
things that matter when we need to use them," said Neyroud.
More about Crisp:
www.computerweekly.com/crisp
http://police.homeoffice.gov.uk/operational-policing/impact/what-we-are-delivering/crossregionalinformationsharing/
Comment on this article:
computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk