HC Deb 09 July 1986 vol 101 cc181-4W
Mr. Cohen

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will describe the audit and logging procedures currently used with the police national computer; and whether, in cases of abuse, these procedures would identify the officer who performed the check and the number of requests made by that officer.

Mr. Giles Shaw

All police national computer transactions have always been recorded centrally on magnetic tape by the computer. These records indicate the time of the transaction as well as the terminal from which it originated. It has recently become possible to record centrally also the identity of the originator of any inquiry and the reasons for the inquiry.

Index Number of Accesses Maximum Number of Entries Minimum Number of Entries Current Number of Entries
1. Stolen and Suspected Vehicles 19,489,664 390,692 349,916 380,925
2. Vehicle Owners 38,146,538 35,646,695 38,146,538
3. Chassis (Engine Numbers) 948,899 644,411 534,633 644,411
4. Fingerprints 210,253 3,655,730 3,516,722 3,655,730

Mr. Cohen

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list those constabularies that have, or intend to have, an interface with the police national computer; and if he will indicate whether the linkage is to a computer used for command and control or criminal information or both.

Mr. Giles Shaw

The following police forces in England and Wales have a direct link to the police national computer through their own force computer system(s):

Force Command and control Criminal information systems
Avon and Somerset Yes
Bedfordshire Yes
Cambridgeshire Yes
Cleveland Yes
Cumbria Yes
Durham Yes
Essex Yes
Humberside Yes
Kent Yes
Lincolnshire Yes
Merseyside Yes
Metropolitan Yes
North Yorkshire
Northamptonshire
Nottinghamshire
South Wales Yes
South Yorkshire Yes Yes
Staffordshire Yes Yes
Suffolk Yes Yes
Sussex Yes
Warwickshire Yes Yes
West Mercia Yes
West Midlands Yes
Wiltshire Yes

The following forces have indicated that they intend to implement a direct link to the PNC in due course, but have not yet informed the Department as to the nature of the force system(s) to which the PNC is to be linked.

  • Devon and Cornwall
  • Dorset
  • Hampshire
  • Hertfordshire
  • Lancashire
  • Northumbria
  • Surrey

Mr. Cohen

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will state the number of accesses in, and the maximum and minimum number of entries, in the last year to current number of entries, for each index of the police national computer over the last year.

Mr. Giles Shaw

The total number of accesses and the maximum and minimum number of entries in the year to June 1986 and the current number of entries for each substantive index of the police national computer are as follows:

Index Number of Accesses Maximum Number of Entries Minimum Number of Entries Current Number of Entries
5. Fingerprints Scene of Crime 16,224 6,628,252 6,240,783 6,628,252
6. Criminal Names 1,108,803 5,119,354 4,977,206 6,628,252
7. Wanted (Missing Persons) 1,549,034 112,922 104,123 104,123
8. Disqualified Drivers 675,263 321,068 298,986 314,163
9. Convictions 18,539 1,170,432 478,391 1,170,432
10. Major Investigations 87,461 118,974 103,000 118,944

There have also been the following joint accesses:

  • to indices 6 and 7–1,450,986
  • to indices 6, 7 and 8–5,657,324
  • to indices 4 and 6–459,947

Mr. Cohen

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will state the current number, the maximum number and minimum number of entries for each of the sub-categories of the stolen and suspect vehicle index of the police national computer over the last year.

Mr. Giles Shaw

The number of entries in each of the sub-categories of the stolen and suspect vehicle index of the police national computer as of 21 June, together with the maximum and minimum number of entries for the previous 12 months, is as follows:

Sub Category 21 June 1986 Maximum in last 12 months Minimum in last 12 months
Lost or stolen 289,705 289,705 259,120
Obtained by deception 575 595 533
Found or apparently abandoned 24,435 25,873 21,554
Removed into police custody 11,997 12,225 10,233
Removed by police from one street to another 344 563 183
Repossessed by finance company 93 112 76
Suspected of being involved in a particular incident, for example: crime 3,341 3,520 3,299
Owned or used by police 6,102 6,220 6,102
Of interest to the police, for example: owned by known criminals or by missing persons 30,827 35,391 30,827
Seen or checked by the police in noteworthy circumstances: for example at night in an area where a series of crime is under investigation 10,824 13,666 10,813
Details not to be passed over open radio for example: police vehicles used in observation duties 4,283 4,369 3,845

Mr. Cohen

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will state the current number, the maximum number and minimum number of entries for each of the sub-categories of the wanted and missing persons index of the police national computer over the last year.

Mr. Giles Shaw

The current, maximum and minimum number of entries for each of the sub-categories of the wanted and missing persons index of the police national computer for the 12-month period ending June 1986 are as follows:

Sub-category June 1986 Maximum Minimum
Wanted persons 30,838 30,838 27,762
Failed to appear in court 20,079 20,228 19,468
Suspected of offence 4,132 4,132 3,798
Impending prosecution 49 106 39
Deserter from Armed Forces 4,519 10,398 4,519
Location desired: eg: for services of summons 37,006 39,986 36,889
Missing 2,220 2,324 1,936
Found 20 20 8
Absconded from Local Authority care 587 695 564
Absconded from hospital 47 65 36
Absconded from youth custody 86 98 77
Absconded from prison 439 439 359
Absconded from remand 16 38 16
Absconded from school 60 126 60
Absconded from detention 8 8 4
Recalled to youth custody 1 3 1
Recalled to prison 243 249 229
Recalled to detention 0 2 0
Notify if in custody 2 141 2

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