Forces counting the cost of criminal record checks

Criminal records checks are no longer being conducted on some convictions due to cost, potentially failing to identify serious offenders.

The number of police forces carrying out background checks into offences committed more than 15 years ago has declined dramatically since the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) started charging for the service.

A report concludes forces think the charge is excessive and therefore many are not requesting the details.

According to the report, “this can only impact adversely upon operational police efficiency and public safety”. The report recommends that the issue is addressed and the fee charged by the NPIA reduced.

The findings were revealed in a report produced by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) into the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) Criminal Record Office (ACRO) at its own request.

Conviction records prior to 1995 were stored on microfiche (photographic archiving film), which are currently being converted and entered onto the Police National Computer (PNC).

The HMIC report showed that there are still 1.2 million records to be entered onto the PNC from an original 5.2 million.

The service has been carried out by ACRO since June 2009. Police forces also update the information using the microfiche. The microfiche was originally supplied by the central depository for free but the NPIA now controls the depository and charges £100 for each entry.

Since April 2010, ACRO has converted 8,500 back records and some have identified serious previous convictions. They include four cases of arson, three of grievous bodily harm, three sexual offences, six murders or attempted murders, four cases of manslaughter and 20 of robbery.

The HMIC report states: “This work by ACRO clearly highlights how serious offences over 15 years old with possible implications for public safety are not yet recorded on the PNC.”

But in a joint statement, the NPIA and ACPO questioned the report’s conclusions stating: “We would find it hard to believe that any force would put public safety at risk for an interim charge of £100.”

They said: “Police officers will make a professional judgement about when they need to seek further information concerning an individual. This would routinely include incidents where an arrest or charge has been made. Where the PNC does not hold a full record of a known individual, it will have a marker alerting police officers that information is held on microfiche.

“Forces are more likely to have reduced the number of times they request microfiche records because they have become more efficient in managing their usage.

“Forces in the past have retrieved the same record a number of times instead of adding the information to the PNC.”

Police Professional spoke to an assistant chief constable who said that his force always pays the fee to access the information, but he knows that many do not due the costs involved.

ACRO was graded as ‘excellent’ by the HMIC report. It is the first time an organisation has been graded excellent in its use of PNC after an inspection.