§ Mr. Arther Lewisasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list by name the police forces which have methods of computer storage and retrieval of criminal information that are compatible with methods of national record keeping; what is the capital expenditure for each force; and what is the annual expenditure for the longest period possible.
§ Dr. SummerskillSo far as I am aware, apart from the experimental scheme being conducted jointly by the Thames Valley police and the Home Office, computer-aided criminal information systems are fully operational in only two other police areas in England and Wales—in Cheshire and Suffolk. None of these systems is connected to other police computers or to the national criminal record office. Therefore the question of computer systems compatibility does not arise. I am writing to the two police authorities concerned and will pass on to my hon. Friend the information which I receive about costs.
§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department which police computer systems in England and Wales incorporate collator records; and which are programmed to make methods to facilitate the handling of a large volume of information which is gathered in any major crime investigation stating the capital costs for each system and for the longest period possible, the annual operating costs.
§ Dr. SummerskillSo far as I am aware, the Thames Valley Police system is the only computer scheme incorporating collator records. The scheme is a joint Home Office—police experiment to assess, among other things, the value of storing and processing such information. The cost of the system is estimated to be £728,000. Operating costs, excluding overheads such as accommodation, were £172,000 in 1978, the latest year for which firm figures are available. No police computer is dedicated, or has the main part of its capacity devoted, to handling information gathered during major crime investigations. The scope for using computers to assist in such investigations is the subject602W of research project being carried out by the Home Office.
§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) which police forces have systems for command and control schemes based on the use of computers, which help in handling requests for assistance from the public, aid dispatch of personnel and equipment, record, monitor and store such information for management purposes, stating for each such force the capital costs and the annual expenditure for the longest period possible; and which schemes are operational or in process of installation;
(2) for each police computer assisted command and control system, what programmes exist for computer tabulated reports, the extent to which they are used and monitored and the development of such integrated systems; and whether they are compatible with other systems throughout the country and compatible with methods of national record keeping.
§ Dr. SummerskillSchemes are operational, partly or fully, in the following police forces in England and Wales:
- Suffolk.
- Dorset.
- Staffordshire.
- West Midlands.
Schemes are being installed in:
- West Yorkshire.
- Bedfordshire.
Force expenditure on such schemes is a matter for the police authorities concerned. But I am writing to each of the authorities concerned and will pass on to my hon. Friend, as soon as possible, the information about costs which I receive.
Each computer system is capable of producing information for management. How such information is tabulated is a matter for each police force, although Home Office advice based on the result of pilot schemes is available. There is no need for computer compatibility between one such scheme and another, nor is information of the kind collected locally by these schemes collated nationally.