The Police National Computer Code of Practice
The Home Office has published a Code of Practice in relation to the Police National Computer (PNC) intended to promote the national adoption of good business practices thereby ensuring the integrity of PNC data in the future. It also sets out achievable timeliness and quality criteria in relation to data entered onto the PNC. The Code replaces the requirements set out in the ACPO PNC Codes of Compliance entitled, Timeliness Performance Indicators.
The Code relates to transactions undertaken by the 43 police forces in England and Wales, the British Transport Police, National Crime Squad and National Criminal Intelligence Service. It relates only to police business processes that require interaction with the PNC Names database for the purposes of recording the commencement and conclusion of process relating to recordable offences.
The timeliness standard in relation to the commencement of process for a recordable offence requires that 90 per cent of each forces total of recordable offences must be entered onto the PNC within 24 hours of a person being arrested, reported or summonsed, and 100 per cent must be recorded within three days.
In respect of discontinuation or on the conclusion of proceedings, a minimum of 50 per cent of the total finalisations of each force must be entered onto the PNC within seven days of the information being received by the police. By July 1, 2005 the total number of finalisations entered must increase to 75 per cent of the force total.
Some of the organisational standards to be achieved require that:
Chief officers establish and maintain a strategic PNC Steering Group within their force. Such groups responsibilities will include developing and being responsible for a strategic plan covering the development, use and marketing of the PNC and ensuring that strategic initiatives are implemented.
Chief officers ensure that the national standards for PNC operation, resourcing and training are fully integrated into local Information Management Strategies (IMS) and are recognised as an important part of operational service delivery.
Chief officers only utilise personnel trained to the current national standard for the purposes of PNC training.
Chief officers ensure that staff undertaking PNC functions are trained to the appropriate level of competence. Functions requiring a high level of expertise must be adequately resourced to accommodate fluctuations in workloads.
Chief officers ensure that each PNC inputting department develops an audit trail to register the return of substandard Source Input Documents (SIDs) via line supervisors to their originators, and that the audit trail system includes a mechanism to ensure the prompt return of SIDs.
Forces incorporate locally-based audit trails, monitoring the passage of returned SIDs between line supervisors and their originators.
Chief officers integrate PNC data quality compliance into their performance review and inspection programmes for BCUs and specialist departments.
The full Code of Practice can be found via www.homeoffice.gov.uk/crimpol/police/
system/technology.html