HC Deb 21 April 1983 vol 41 cc146-7W
Mr. Tilley

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give brief details of the computer systems in use or planned for the Metropolitan police force.

Mr. Mayhew

We understand from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that details of Metropolitan police computer systems currently in use are as given in the following list. Future developments involving the use of computers in his force are currently under review.

Metropolitan Police Computer Systems Currently in Use

  1. 1. Police and civil staff pay-roll, deductions, allowances and pensions computer.
  2. 2. Cheque reconciliation computer.
  3. 3. Catering branch accounts.
  4. 4. Finance Department (F1 Branch) accounts.
  5. 5. Viewdata system which comprises: details of premises equipped with burglar alarms and police calls thereto; crime classification experiment—an algorithm designed to convert police information into Home Office statistics; neighbourhood policing project information—a system designed to simulate activity on a police division to assist with training; training in public order control — produces simulations of incidents of public disorder to assist in the training of senior police officers.
  6. 6. Personal injury (traffic accident) statistics.
  7. 7. Complaints against police statistics.
  8. 8. Breathalyser statistics.
  9. 9. Stolen fine arts property index.
  10. 10. Crime statistics.
  11. 11. Court appearances system — statistical information regarding persons prosecuted and court results.
  12. 12. Domestic suite for the Metropolitan police department of computing services — to produce an analysis of work performed by paper tape and punch staff.
  13. 13. Department of computing services personnel records.
  14. 14. Police personnel records.
    15. 147
  15. 15. Force expenditure estimates.
  16. 16. Juvenile bureau system — statistical information concerning offences committed by juveniles.
  17. 17. Traffic accident "black spot" index—an analysis of incidents at particular road junctions.
  18. 18. Traffic wardens management information system.
  19. 19. Crime report information system—experimental system for recording and retrieving information about burglaries.
  20. 20. Forensic science laboratory—analytical applications.
  21. 21. Traffic tickets system.
  22. 22. Police manpower information system — a limited experiment to analyse the deployment of uniform constables.
  23. 23. A developmental system to be used to control and record telecommunications equipment in use in the Metropolitan police district.
  24. 24. Stores control system.
  25. 25. "C" department computer facilities — providing separate data bases maintained by a number of central CID departments supporting the fraud squad; the central drugs intelligence unit; the special branch; the special intelligence section which has responsibility for collating intelligence relating to organised international crime; the south-east regional intelligence unit; and one of the four area analytical and targeting units set up to deal with burglary and street crime.
  26. 26. Vehicle fleet management system.
  27. 27. Married quarters allocation and information system.
  28. 28. Videofile system—a system whereby a visual display by video tapes of the fingerprints of persons arrested can be located and compared with those of persons with criminal records and marks found at scenes of undetected crime.
  29. 29. Fingerprint coding — enables information about fingerprints of arrested persons to be entered on the police national computer.
  30. 30. Computerised command and control system — being used at present only for training purposes and incorporating automatic call distribution; a communications switching system; computer aided despatch; a message switching system; and an incident information system.

Mr. Tilley

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his role in deciding what computer systems the Metropolitan police force has.

Mr. Mayhew

As police authority it is my right hon. Friend's responsibility to give prior approval to any expenditure on computers for the Metropolitan police in excess of the delegated financial powers of the receiver for the Metropolitan police district.

Mr. Tilley

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Metropolitan police force is planning to introduce a computerised criminal information system.

Mr. Mayhew

In addition to the existing C department computer facilities, details of which were given in another place—[Vol. 441, c. 87–88]—the Metropolitan police are considering whether to introduce a computerised system to hold crime report information. It would replace crime books, some associated indexes and the present crime statistics computer.