HC Deb 29 November 1991 vol 199 cc654-6W
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what changes are proposed to the executive powers of the executive co-ordinator of the regional crime squads; and whether the executive co-ordinator is to be given overall control of the regional criminal intelligence offices and the technical support units.

Mr. Peter Lloyd

When the new national criminal intelligence service is established in 1992, the executive co-ordinator of the regional crime squads will become one of its two deputy directors. There will be no change to the existing situation in which the executive co-ordinator has no executive authority in relation to either the regional criminal intelligence offices or the technical support units.

Mr. Andrew F. Bennett

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will(a) list the titles of the branches and squads for the Metropolitan police specialist operations department, and (b) state how the creation of the national criminal intelligence service will affect these units.

Mr. Peter Lloyd

The information requested is as follows:

SO1 International and Organised Crime Branch
1 Squad. Major investigation pool
2 Squad. National office for the suppression of counterfeit currency
3 Squad. Extradition, passport and illegal immigration-deportation
5 Squad. Central cheque squad
6 Squad. Stolen motor vehicle investigation squad
SO2 Crime support branch
SO3 Scenes of crime branch
SO4 National identification bureau
SO5 Miscellaneous force indexes
SO6 Metropolitan and City police company fraud squad
SO7 Metropolitan police forensic science laboratory
SO8 Serious crime branch (flying squad)
SO9 Regional crime squad
SO10 1Crime operations group
SO11 1 Metropolitan police criminal intelligence branch
SO12 Special branch
SO13 Anti-terrorist branch
SO14 Royalty protection branch
SO15 Royal palaces division
SO16 Diplomatic protection group
SO17 PNC bureau
SO18 Palace of Westminster
1 It is presently intended that parts of these units will become part of the national criminal intelligence service.
2 The commercial criminal intelligence bureau (presently part of SO6) will become part of the national criminal intelligence service.

Mr. Andrew F. Bennett

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what is the transitional and full "cut over" date for users of the integrated national criminal intelligence system;

(2) which existing databases will form the basis for the integrated national criminal intelligence system;

(3) if he will list the location of all the regional criminal intelligence offices; and indicate which offices (a) are fully computerised, (b) have an interfacing capacity with national intelligence units and (c) have been earmarked for closure in the proposed reorganisation of the national intelligence gathering system;

(4) if he will detail which, if any, national intelligence units are using new computing facilities provided as part of the integrated national criminal intelligence system.

Mr. Peter Lloyd

There are currently nine regional criminal intelligence offices, none of which is fully computerised and all of which interface with the police national computer. Their locations are:

Regional criminal intelligence offices Location
1 Manchester
21 Durham
3 Wakefield
4 Birmingham
5, 6 and 9 London
7 Bristol
81 Cardiff
1 Earmarked for closure on 31 March 1992.

A computer system is being developed to support the new national criminal intelligence service and it is intended that the system will be introduced in 1994. It will incorporate selected data from the national drugs intelligence unit database and will replace the crime pattern analysis facility presently provided by the police national computer.

Mr. Andrew F. Bennett

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if there are any plans to create a DNA database as part of the national criminal intelligence system or on the new PNC 2 computer.

Mr. Peter Lloyd

There are no such plans. The question of establishing a DNA database has been put to the Royal Commission on Criminal Justice.