Lincolnshire Police: Managing Information Across the Nation

Lincolnshire Police is now managing law enforcement information (crimes, calls from the public, custody records, etc.) held on police databases for five other police forces.

Lincolnshire is one of the leading forces nationally for the way it reviews, retains and disposes of information and has taken on these responsibilities for constabularies in Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Northamptonshire, Leicestershire and the City of London too.

The new arrangement started late last year and working in partnership is cost effective for Lincolnshire Police, the other constabularies and the taxpayer.  There is a continuing need for police forces to be cost effective and this initiative alone saves Lincolnshire Police in the region of £90,000 a year with similar if not greater savings for all the other forces.

The force’s Review, Retention and Disposal (RRD) team review the records of people with law enforcement information ensuring they are up to date and not kept longer than they need to be.  Nationally there has been a requirement for consistent and efficient management of this ever since the Soham enquiry in 2003, when national guidelines were published for how forces handle and share data.

Richard Burge from the Information Management Unit, says:

“We are delighted to be supporting these constabularies and proud that the way we work is held in high regard by other forces.

“Ever since the Soham enquiry we have been working hard to make sure our records are accurate, concise and easily researchable for our officers and staff.  They can now find information on a potentially dangerous person in minutes, helping them to make quick and incredibly informed decisions.  This can be vital in making arrests, charging offenders and keeping communities and people safe.”

Police and crime commissioner Marc Jones says:

“Utilising the best possible information technology is crucial to providing the most effective and efficient policing possible.

“The work done by the force to develop the best system possible has now been recognised by our neighbours and sharing this work will allow all of us to invest more resources in frontline policing.

“It will also allow our officers in the field to access crucial information more quickly and help us protect our communities.

”This is a crucial step in my commitment to utilise technology to improve out services to the tax payers of Lincolnshire.”