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Information Management/ICT: Use of Police ICT

Version 2.2

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of 27 Use of Police ICT Version 2.2

© College of Policing Limited 2015

© - College of Policing Limited (the College) June 2015

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, modified, amended,

stored in any retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior

written permission of the College or its representative.

The above restrictions do not apply to Home Office police forces who are licensed by the

College to copy and use this material for policing purposes within the police service of

England and Wales. Some restrictions apply and forces may not copy or use any part of this

material for audiences other than Home Office police personnel, distribute to third party

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without obtaining written agreement, in the form of a licence extension, from the College.

All enquiries about this product should be addressed to the Programme Management Unit

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made throughout this text to avoid exclusionary language or stereotypical terms.

Occasionally, to ensure clarity, it has been necessary to refer to an individual by gender.

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Version 2.2 Use of Police ICT of 27


Contents

1. Police National Computer (PNC) .................................................................................... 6

1.1 The source input document ........................................................................................ 8

1.2 The Bichard 7 Project ................................................................................................. 9

1.3 Wanted/Missing .......................................................................................................... 9

1.4 Disqualified drivers ................................................................................................... 10

1.5 Offence details ......................................................................................................... 10

1.6 How to enquire on a person record ........................................................................... 11

1.7 Searching by ID/Reference numbers ........................................................................ 12

1.8 QUEST ..................................................................................................................... 12

1.9 Vehicles on the PNC ................................................................................................ 13

1.10 Police reports ......................................................................................................... 16

1.11 Making an enquiry on the PNC vehicle application ................................................. 17

1.12 VRM enquiry ........................................................................................................... 17

1.13 Partial VRM enquiry ................................................................................................ 17

1.14 VIN enquiry ............................................................................................................. 18

1.15 Insurance details on the PNC ................................................................................. 18

1.16 VODS ..................................................................................................................... 19

1.17 Action to be taken when a vehicle is reported stolen .............................................. 19

1.18 Action to be taken when a stolen vehicle is found ................................................... 19

1.19 Property on the PNC .............................................................................................. 19

1.20 Information directories ............................................................................................ 20

1.21 Broadcast messages .............................................................................................. 21

1.22 Transaction log enquiries ........................................................................................ 21

1.23 Test Certificate (MOT) details on the PNC .............................................................. 21

1.24 Violent and Sex Offender Register (ViSOR) ........................................................... 22

1.25 Schengen Information System (SISII) ..................................................................... 22

1.26 Relevant legislation ................................................................................................ 22

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2. The Police National Database (PND) ............................................................................ 23

2.1 The background to the PND ..................................................................................... 23

2.2 The purpose of the PND ........................................................................................... 24

2.3 Who has access to the PND? ................................................................................... 24

3. Revision Questions ....................................................................................................... 26

4. Key Legislation ............................................................................................................. 27

5. E-learning ...................................................................................................................... 27

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Authorised Professional Practice

These notes are aimed at learners completing their Initial training to meet the learning

outcomes specified on the National Policing Curriculum. The primary source of content is the

Authorised Professional Practice (APP) and the supporting evidence based research of

“what works” in policing.

APP can be found at: http://www.app.college.police.uk/

http://www.app.college.police.uk/

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These notes are for Pre-Join, Police Officers, PCSOs and IL4SC Phase 2.

1. Police National Computer (PNC)

The Police National Computer (PNC) was introduced in 1974. The computer is housed at

Hendon in North London and is accessible 24 hours per day, 365 days per year to trained

operators working on computer terminals located throughout the UK police forces, including

Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands. Other approved Government and non-

Government departments also have limited access.

There are standard operating procedures and legislation in place regarding the use of the

PNC, in addition to localised procedures. All staff must follow these and you should make

yourself familiar with them.

This section provides some basic details of the information held on the PNC, which is

relevant to the various areas of policing activities. The main applications relate to:

people

vehicles

property

information directories

broadcast messages.

In every organisation linked in to the PNC system, authorised operators enter information

onto or obtain information from it. As a police officer you are entitled to use the services of

the operators in your force to provide or to obtain this information. This information must be

used for authorised policing purposes only. You can make enquiries using a radio terminal, a

telephone or other local force systems.

When you ask an operator to carry out a PNC check, you will need to provide some basic

details. This information should always be given in the following order, as this is the order in

which the operator will record it:

the type of enquiry you require, e.g. a vehicle or name check

who you are (normally your force number or name)

where you are (this is important for security and for your own protection if you later

require urgent assistance as a result of the enquiry)

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why you want the enquiry, e.g. because you have arrested somebody or are checking a

parked car

the details you require to be checked, such as a vehicle registration mark.

Note: Some forces require other information to be provided as a further security measure.

The PNC stores information about millions of people who are of interest to the police. These

details are held in electronic folders indexed by the person’s name. However, it is possible to

access records using other reference details including driver number, Police National

Computer Identification Number (PNCID), Criminal Record Office number (CRO), AS (Arrest

Summons) number, passport and other identity numbers, or by other descriptive features.

There are three basic reasons why personal details are kept on the PNC:

wanted/missing and/or

disqualified driver and/or

subject of legal process, i.e. that a person has previously been convicted or cautioned for

certain offences, or has a case pending.

Each of these elements are described in more detail below.

Whatever the reason a person is on the PNC, the facility exists to store a wide range of

nominal and descriptive details. This can be useful in many areas of policing. The PNC is not

just for keeping records; it is an investigative and intelligence gathering tool.

The following list covers the main sections of information relating to people on the PNC. This

is available to you, provided that you and your colleagues collect the information in the first

place:

name, date of birth, sex, colour and height

physical descriptions including marks, scars, tattoos and piercings

any type of address used by the person, or places frequented by them

warning signals, for example that a person may be violent or suicidal, or that they may

carry weapons, firearms or drugs, or suffer from an ailment

cross-references to other records held on the PNC

link to records containing basic information concerning anyone who is either the holder of

or has made an application to be granted a shotgun, firearm’s or explosives’ certificate

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other names or dates of birth used by the person - referred to as ‘alias details’

nicknames

information of a policing nature, including that the person fails to appear at court, has

previously breached their bail conditions, has had DNA samples taken in the past, or

needs to have a DNA sample taken for another enquiry if they are arrested for something

else

availability of photographs of a subject

details of passports held and other ID numbers

details of personal characteristics, including specific mannerisms, styles of dress and

specialist skills

details of occupations, known associates and police officers who have specific

knowledge of the person.

PNC Names records can hold a vast amount of information on an individual, but you must

ensure that it is factual and accurate. It is your information. The extra few minutes spent

asking questions and carefully recording the information on descriptive forms could mean

the difference between detecting or not detecting future offences committed by that person.

1.1 The source input document

The most common document which is used to update the PNC with information is the

Source Input Document (SID); this form may be called something else in your force, for

example Phoenix forms. When a person is dealt with by the police for more serious offences,

the officer in the case will be required to complete this form. This document contains all the

details listed above, together with details of the alleged offences. It is vitally important that

you obtain as much accurate information as possible, because it is this information that will

be transferred to the PNC. Future intelligence and investigations could depend on

information gathered at this stage. As well as this, the Data Protection Act 1998 requires the

police to ensure that all information on the PNC is accurate and up-to-date.

It is usual to obtain the fingerprints of a subject at the same stage as completing an SID and

once all details have been input onto the PNC the fingerprints will be submitted to the

National Identification Service (NIS) at New Scotland Yard, London. The fingerprints will be

checked against previously taken ones and the NIS will confirm the person’s identity. If this

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is the first time a person has had their fingerprints taken, a new Criminal Records Office

(CRO) number will be issued at this point.

1.2 The Bichard 7 Project

The Bichard 7 project was developed in response to Recommendation 7 of The Bichard

Report 2004. This recommended that HM court services should take responsibility for the

transfer of information arising from court hearings and results from court case management

systems onto the PNC. As a result, an automated solution was developed (Bichard 7).

Court updates will ordinarily transfer straight through the Bichard 7 Solution onto PNC.

However some updates cannot be transferred or require further work. In this case authorised

staff are able to update PNC using the Bichard Portal. Once this is done the updates are

sent to PNC. It is important that this is done quickly to ensure that PNC is up to date.

1.3 Wanted/Missing

This element contains reports on people whose whereabouts are sought for a variety of

reasons. It is most important that you understand the responses provided to you for

enquiries in this section because not all persons who have a Wanted/Missing report

recorded are actually “wanted”. Extreme care is needed to avoid making unlawful arrests.

Instructions as to what powers are available to the police are often recorded within reports.

There are nine distinct types of ‘Wanted/Missing’ reports:

Wanted - for alleged criminal offences, for non-payment of a fine, or as a witness. These

should show a power, for example the power to arrest or wanted on warrant. There is

also a special category of Wanted Report for orders issued by a court. There are four

types of court order: Sex Offender Registration, Prevention from Harassment, Licensed

Premises Exclusion and Sports Ground Exclusion

Locate/Trace - to recover property, as a witness, to serve a summons, take a DNA

sample, or (in the case of non-payment of fine) serve a Means Enquiry Warrant

Abscond - from Prison, Youth Custody, Hospital (not voluntary), Care (care order under

the Children Act 1989), Detention Centre or Remand

Deserter - from HM Forces, known as Absent With Out Leave (AWOL)

Recall - Anyone who is to be recalled to detention following earlier release to Prison,

Youth Custody or detention Centre

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Missing - usually young, vulnerable, or in suspicious circumstances, where there is a

reason to be concerned for their welfare

Found - subjects who have been found and who cannot be identified, including dead

bodies, people experiencing loss of memory, and unconscious victims of crime or

accidents

Detained - this must be added whenever somebody with a Wanted, Abscond, Recall or

Deserter report is detained

Registered Sex Offender - Subjects who are required to register their name and address

with the police because they have been convicted of certain sex offences. This is the “Sex

Offenders’ Register”: any police action which may be required should be recorded. Once a

person has lawfully registered, this section is ‘for information only’ and there is normally no

power of arrest.

Note: Don’t forget, if you arrest a person you must do a PNC check. If you find that they are

wanted, a deserter, an absconder, or subject to a recall notice, you must arrange for a

‘Detained Report’ to be added to their record by a PNC operator. This will ensure that the

person will not be arrested for a second time (unlawfully) for the same offence and also

ensure that a printout is sent to any other force who is interested in the detained person.

1.4 Disqualified drivers

When a court disqualifies someone from driving, the court notifies the police who add the

details to the PNC. Details available include the date and length of the disqualification, the

court that imposed it, and whether the person has to pass their driving test again. The report

stays on the PNC for the duration of the disqualification period. The court also notifies the

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) who will liaise with the police to confirm the

details.

1.5 Offence details

The offence

Details of recordable offences (normally one for which it is possible to be imprisoned) are

recorded on the PNC once the SID has been completed. These details will stay on the

system unless the person is not proceeded against, or is found not guilty. Details of where

and when the offence occurred, the method to commit it and the crime reference numbers

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are all recorded. It is important to record as much information as possible for descriptive

searching purposes.

The arrest

The system also shows details of the officer in the case, when the person was processed,

and whether fingerprints, photographs and DNA samples were taken.

Remands/Bail

A court often does not deal with a case on its first appearance. In these cases, a date will be

set for the hearing to take place and the subject will either be remanded in custody or bailed

to reappear. If the person is bailed, conditions may be placed on the bail (for example that

the person must be at home by 8.00 pm every night). Details of all these court activities

should be maintained on the PNC. Likewise, details of bail granted by the police may also be

recorded on the PNC.

1.6 How to enquire on a person record

To look for a particular person’s record on the PNC, the operator will need as much of the

following information as you can provide:

Personal details

These must be provided to the operator in the following order:

Name: surname followed by any forename(s) - (e.g. Collier/Mark/Lee) to a maximum

total of 54 characters

Age: date of birth (e.g. 11/05/1960)

Sex: male, female or unknown

Colour: white/non-white or unknown

Height: in feet/inches, or metres/centimetres

These are often called the NASCH factors (Name, Age, Sex, Colour, and Height). As names

are not unique, this method of enquiry may produce a summary of personal records. It is

therefore important to provide as much accurate information as possible. Never guess any of

the details; if you are not sure of a person’s name ask them to spell it out for you.

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1.7 Searching by ID/Reference numbers

Various reference numbers can be present on a record and you need to be aware that they

exist to enable you to ask for the relevant search facility. They provide more direct access to

single records; the following numbers are searchable:

PNCID (PNC Identity Number): every record has one of these, which remains as long as

the record remains

CRO (Criminal Record Office): issued by NIS on the first occasion that a person’s

fingerprints are registered and confirmed

SF (Search File): an old type reference number not issued since May 1995. This referred

to records which were sent to the NIS without fingerprints, or with poor quality

fingerprints. You are unlikely to encounter many of these numbers

Driver number: the unique number allocated to a DVLA driver record

Arrest summons reference: a number generated by the PNC whenever details of

offences for which a person is being dealt with are added to the system

ID number: any identity numbers held by a subject can be recorded on the PNC.

Examples include National Insurance numbers, bank account numbers, passport

numbers etc.

LX number (local reference number): this number may refer to a file held on a local

intelligence system, or a force’s records system. There are different levels of references

held. It may indicate that a particular force is actively looking for intelligence on this

person

DNA barcode: Retrieved from the SIDs.

If you have any doubts about the use or interpretation of any of these reference numbers, or

any other element of the names application you should not hesitate to enquire with your

authorised PNC operator.

1.8 QUEST

QUEST (Queries Using Extended Search Techniques) allows a few specialist operators in

each force to search the PNC names database by various aspects besides name and

number. The system can be searched by:

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description

marks, scars and tattoos

previous offences

modus operandi

force/station codes

postcodes, including partial postcodes.

QUEST will work properly only if all officers correctly complete SIDs. Full attention must be

given, not only to the obvious details like marks, scars, and tattoos and so forth but also to

postcodes (not only of where the person lives, but where the offence was committed, the

places they frequent etc.).

Your PNC Liaison Officer will be able to tell you about your force’s procedures for different

types of offence and who is trained to perform your searches.

1.9 Vehicles on the PNC

The PNC contains details of millions of motor vehicles in the UK which are registered at the

DVLA. There is a regular update of information between the two organisations.

Vehicles registered in foreign countries, the Channel Islands, Isle of Man and Northern

Ireland, or with specific military style registrations, together with those that are not registered

and those on trade plates or imports, will not normally be entered on the PNC. However, a

facility does exist for such vehicles to be recorded if the police have a specific interest in

such a vehicle.

The DVLA record includes vehicle registration mark, the make, model, type of vehicle,

colour(s), the Vehicle Identity Number (VIN), engine number and capacity. The record also

shows details of the keeper’s name and address (including postcode), and the date of first

registration.

The DVLA also record other items of information in the form of ‘markers’. The more common

of these are:

Cherished transfer

where the number has been transferred to another vehicle after payment of a fee to the

DVLA

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V23 submitted

a marker indicating that the vehicle has suffered serious physical damage at some

previous time (i.e. ‘written off’)

Scrapped

notification has been received by the DVLA that the vehicle has been scrapped

VEL expired

the Vehicle Excise Licence has not been renewed for three months

VEL void

the Vehicle Excise Licence issued was obtained by a worthless cheque

Record query

the DVLA’s information has been queried, as no longer correct, by the police

Void

no administrative process has taken place in respect of the vehicle for the past three

years, after a further year the record will be deleted

SORN

(Statutory Off Road Notification) the keeper of the vehicle has declared that it is not kept

or used on a road

Notified Void by DVLA

indicates vehicle has an attached police report and will not weed off the system after the

normal four years, as per the void marker

Void Cherished Transfer

a cherished number has replaced the allocated VRM

Retain VRM

enables a keeper to retain a VRM for a year while the vehicle is not on the road. An

example of this is a cherished transfer VRM after the vehicle is considered a write-off

after a road traffic collision

Assigned BFG/MOD

a batch of VRMs is allocated to military personnel serving in Germany. A contact is given

on the vehicle record

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Blocked

a means of blocking keeper details, should an operational officer be using his/her private

vehicle during an investigation

No Longer Keeper

keeper has informed DVLA that they have sold the vehicle. The record will indicate the

date of sale

New V5

new style vehicle documentation has been issued to this vehicle

In Trade

part of the new V5 has been returned to DVLA indicating that the vehicle has been sold

to a garage

Police/Local Authority Notified

abandoned vehicle (seven days’ notice) under the Refuse Disposal (Amenity) Act 1978

Permanent Export

a vehicle that has had its purchase tax paid, but is now going to be permanently

exported

Direct Export

exported by the manufacturer directly after manufacture

Personnel Export

a vehicle to be exported by the keeper to an EU or non-EU country

In Confidence (Police Eyes Only)

details of this record are not to be communicated over an insecure communications

channel

Refer V5 DVLA

have noted a discrepancy with either the VIN or engine number

Police Exam Marker

this is placed on the vehicle after a VIN has been in dispute. After verifying the number is

correct, a qualified vehicle examiner only can authorise the entry of this marker.

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1.10 Police reports

If any vehicle becomes of interest to the police a police report may be added. You will

always be told of the presence of any report on a vehicle which you check.

The different types of report are:

Lost/Stolen Added when a vehicle is reported lost or stolen

Found Added when a vehicle is found apparently abandoned, or when

a stolen vehicle is found

Information This is used when there is evidence to suggest that the vehicle

is, or has been, used in criminal or suspicious activities, or

where the police want to trace the vehicle for any other reason

(e.g. if it has been involved in a road traffic collision)

Removed A report added when a vehicle has been removed by the police,

to avoid later suggestions that it may have been stolen

Restricted Added when details of the vehicle must only be given out in the

most confidential circumstances. There are occasions when

security of the record will be such that the keeper details are

totally ‘blocked’ from PNC operators; this report will be added to

provide information as to how they may be acquired

Correction A report added when the police find out that the DVLA details

are inaccurate, e.g. the keeper has changed, or the colour or

engine number has changed. As well as putting this report on

the vehicle, officers should let the DVLA know by sending a

Form V79. (The DVLA will show this as a ‘Record Query’

marker.)

Seen When a vehicle has been seen and checked in circumstances

worthy of note and which may be useful in further investigation,

i.e. suspicious or possibly stolen

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Destroyed This report is used where a vehicle has been ‘burnt out’,

normally after being stolen.

1.11 Making an enquiry on the PNC vehicle application

There are several ways of carrying out vehicle enquiries using this application:

VRM (Vehicle Registration Mark) enquiry

partial VRM enquiry

VIN (Vehicle Identity Number) enquiry

VODS (Vehicle Online Descriptive Search)

multiple searches up to 15 vehicles.

1.12 VRM enquiry

This is by far the most common enquiry. By providing the operator with the Vehicle

Registration Mark (VRM) a single record should be found. If this is not the case, then there

are a number of possibilities:

have you made a mistake?

has the PNC operator made a mistake?

could it be a new vehicle? (It takes several weeks before the PNC is updated after a

vehicle has been registered.)

could it be a foreign or Northern Ireland vehicle, military, import, unregistered or trade

plates?

could it be on false number plates?

1.13 Partial VRM enquiry

If only part of a registration mark has been obtained then you may still be able to search the

PNC. Pass as much detail of the vehicle as possible to your operator who will tell you if a

check is possible.

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1.14 VIN enquiry

Where no VRM is available, e.g. with a burnt out vehicle or an off-road motorcycle etc., the

Vehicle Identity Number (VIN) is searchable. This is often referred to as the chassis number.

You can normally find the VIN on a plate under the bonnet but it might be in other locations

too and your force will have manufacturer’s guides for different types of vehicle to assist you

to find it.

1.15 Insurance details on the PNC

It is possible to obtain details of a vehicle’s insurance from a PNC vehicle check. The details

will relate to a vehicle as opposed to a person. The check must only be conducted if grounds

to request this information exist.

The Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB) considers access via PNC to the Motor Insurance

Database (MID) as appropriate for all police officers, special constables, police staff and

police community support officers when the purpose of the check is to determine, on that

day, whether a vehicle on the road has a record of insurance on the MID.

The MIB also considers it appropriate for multiple checks of the Motor Insurance Database

(MID) to take place, where there is present at the time, the capability and capacity to

immediately stop the vehicle should the MID indicate that no insurance details are held.

These changes have been made to clarify the position which previously caused some

confusion as to who could access this information. The situation is not quite as straight

forward and the following points should be borne in mind.

1. This allows for PCSOs to check the MID. However it remains the decision of the Chief

Constable to decide whether they would wish their PCSOs to be involved with this work.

This does not mean that PCSOs can now seize uninsured vehicles; refer to your own

force policy for actions to take when discovering an uninsured vehicle.

2. The MID can only be checked on the day of the enquiry.

3. You are now able to check a vehicle whilst it is moving provided you are subsequently

able to actually stop the vehicle. This means you no longer have to stop the vehicle first.

4. You are able to check a vehicle to see if there is a record on the MID to ascertain

compliance with Section 143 the Road Traffic Act 1988 (no insurance). It cannot be used

for any other purpose, including that of obtaining intelligence.

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If there is no record of insurance returned to the operator performing the enquiry, it does not

mean that the driver is uninsured. It may simply mean that the database may not have been

updated with the current cover, so if in doubt issue a HORT1 (if your force still uses these).

1.16 VODS

The Vehicle Online Descriptive Search (VODS) facility is a specialist tool available to just a

few operators in each force. With VODS it is possible to search the PNC for vehicles even if

no numbers are known by using a combination of description and location. This facility can

also be used to obtain a list of vehicles registered to a specific postcode. This is now

available to most PNC operators. By using the appropriate code, an operator has the ability

to search on a postcode and relate to you all vehicles registered to that postcode.

1.17 Action to be taken when a vehicle is reported stolen

Firstly, carry out a PNC enquiry on the VRM. The vehicle may have been checked since

being stolen and have a report added to indicate its current whereabouts. If not, ask for a

stolen report to be added to the record; you will need to pass details of when and where the

vehicle was stolen and to verify the keeper details.

1.18 Action to be taken when a stolen vehicle is found

In addition to any local procedures and matters relating to the crime, you should request that

the PNC operator adds a found report. This is most important as a failure to do so may result

in the keeper being arrested in possession of their own vehicle.

It is important that the keeper informs the police once the vehicle has been recovered - all

stolen and found reports will then be removed.

1.19 Property on the PNC

The PNC holds details of certain types of property; however, unlike the vehicle application,

property will only be recorded on the PNC if it has been reported to the police as lost/stolen

or found.

The types of property held on the system are:

Plant Items of machinery used in agricultural, engineering or construction industries

(e.g. diggers and concrete mixers). It does not include hand-held machinery

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Engines Details of any engines, except marine engines (see below), including engines

from stolen vehicles listed on the vehicle application

Trailers Including caravans, sidecars, lorry containers, single and multi-axle trailers

Animals Any animal which has been uniquely marked in some way, e.g. tattooed,

microchip implant

Marine Items which include boats, marine engines, jet skis, hull and sail numbers

Firearms Any firearms, including imitations

Details required for both entry and enquiry for items of property include a serial number or

other identifying number(s). What the numbers are will depend on the type of property, e.g.

marine craft may have a sail number, and an item of plant may have an engine number, and

so on. Advise the PNC operator of any number or part number that you can find, together

with a description of the property. Your PNC operator may be able to advise you about the

standard location of specific reference numbers.

Again, in the absence of any numbers there is a facility to carry out a descriptive search on

any item of property. Any descriptive features can be input for a search across the whole

property application or focused on up to five force areas. This facility also has the capability

to give intelligence, e.g. the number of firearms stolen/found in a force area over a stated

period of time.

1.20 Information directories

The PNC provides a series of information directories which contain:

A list of all organisations, police and non-police, who are connected to the PNC

A list of contact addresses, phone and fax numbers within any organisation connected to

the system (e.g. details of all police stations are recorded)

A list of all courts within the United Kingdom

A list of all offences and statutes within the United Kingdom

A list of post centres, i.e. B: Birmingham; LN: Lincoln.

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1.21 Broadcast messages

The PNC contains a message system for transmitting details of any important incident which

requires urgent action to be taken. Broadcasts can be sent to any force, any group of forces

or to all forces, or to all airports and seaports. This is a fast, free and secure system that is

closely monitored to avoid misuse or abuse.

1.22 Transaction log enquiries

Every transaction carried out on the PNC is recorded. As well as assisting with auditing the

PNC, this facility is an investigative tool in its own right.

Firstly, it allows supervisors to check the accuracy of information entered by their operators,

and to guard against misuse of the system. As part of this auditing process, you may be

asked by a supervisor to explain why you carried out a particular check. (Do not rely on

memory - a Pocket Notebook entry is always a good idea.)

Secondly, because the system stores details of who has carried out what checks, this can be

used in investigations. Details are kept on the system for up to 12 months. For example, if

you are investigating a burglary and a witness gives details of a vehicle that was seen

driving away then, as well as checking the vehicle application, you can also ask the operator

to check whether this vehicle has been checked by other officers anywhere in the country. If

it has been checked, you can contact the other officers involved because, like you, they will

have given information about who they are, where they were and why they wanted the

check, and all this will be available to you.

The PNC continues to be a major tool in crime prevention and investigation and its scope is

continuously increased.

It is possible to have access, via the PNC, to details of all driving licences held by persons

within the country. You are able to establish if they have passed their driving test for any

particular class of vehicle, as well as other DVLA information held.

Other additions include a register of all firearm and shotgun certificate holders.

1.23 Test Certificate (MOT) details on the PNC

Computer generated certificates have now replaced the A5 certificates. The authenticity of

computer generated certificates is checkable via the PNC which will show an MOT expiry

marker.

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1.24 Violent and Sex Offender Register (ViSOR)

ViSOR is a UK-wide system used to store and share information and intelligence on those

individuals who have been identified as posing a risk of serious harm to the public.

ViSOR is designed to facilitate the work of Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements

(MAPPA) by assisting cooperative working between the three “Responsible Authorities”

(police, probation and prison services) in their joint management of individuals posing a risk

of serious harm.

ViSOR is currently used by all police forces in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern

Ireland. The database is also used by HM Forces and other specialist police units and

agencies, including the Probation Service, and in Scotland by the Criminal Justice Social

Work Services and the Scottish Prison Service Intelligence Bureau.

The offender categories currently recorded in ViSOR are Registered Sexual Offenders,

Other Dangerous Offenders, Violent Offenders, Other Sexual Offenders and Potentially

Dangerous Persons.

There is an electronic interface between ViSOR and the PNC Names application.

1.25 Schengen Information System (SISII)

The SISII is a European data system designed to allow police officers access to alerts

issued by member states or countries in respect of persons, vehicles and objects.

The system is fully in place and is linked to the PNC, and when an appropriate PNC check is

carried out a simultaneous check will take place on the system. If a ‘hit’ occurs, the screen

will indicate the nature of the alert and the action to be taken by the officer requesting the

check.

1.26 Relevant legislation

The Data Protection Act 1998 sets rules for processing personal information and applies to

some paper records as well as those held electronically. This legislation has been

complemented by the Authorised Professional Practice on Information Management and the

Computer Misuse Act 1990.

As the PNC holds personal information it is subject to strict rules governing disclosure and

misuse. Contravention of these rules could lead to disciplinary and legal action that could

carry a custodial sentence. The PNC must be used for policing purposes only.

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2. The Police National Database (PND)

2.1 The background to the PND

The Police National Database (PND) was introduced in June 2011 in response to the

murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman which were committed by Ian Huntley in

August 2002 in Soham.

Between 1995 and 1999 eleven separate criminal allegations against Ian Huntley came to

the notice of the police and social services. Nine of these allegations related to sexual

offences including rape, sex with underage girls and indecent assault on a child.

When Ian Huntley moved to Soham in 2001 he applied for a job as a school caretaker. After

passing the vetting and police checks in Cambridgeshire he was given the job. None of the

previous allegations were picked up. The deaths of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman

marked a turning point in the way in which information is handled by the police.

Sir Michael, later, Lord Bichard led an enquiry into the murders. The Bichard Report which

was published in June 2004 made a total of 31 recommendations. The number one

recommendation from the enquiry was the following:

“To deliver an effective, integrated, national, regional and local information sharing

intelligence capability.”

The PND was developed and launched in June 2011 in response to the Bichard Report. The

PND allows police forces and other law enforcement agencies for the first time to directly

immediately and electronically access, share and search local information at a national level

thus meeting the critical recommendation made by Lord Bichard.

The existence of PND means that time and resources are saved and improvements are

made to the following areas of policing

Risk assessments

Decision making

Information sharing

Disclosure e.g. employment vetting

Cross border detection and prevention e.g. serial stranger rape

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Ability to compile bad character evidence.

The PND aims to deliver against three strategic benefits:

Safeguarding children and vulnerable adults

Countering terrorism

Preventing and disrupting crime.

2.2 The purpose of the PND

The main purpose of the PND is to share locally held information on People,

Organisations, Objects, Locations and Events nationally where these records have been

recorded locally within one of the following five key areas of investigation:

Crime

Custody

Intelligence

Child Abuse

Domestic Abuse.

Each organisation provides data which is loaded into the PND. The PND separates

information into the following categories.

People (including organisations)

Objects (such as vehicles, telephone numbers, weapons, drugs etc.)

Locations (this category could include post codes, specific buildings or locations such as

parks etc.)

Events (Custody, crime, intelligence, child abuse records, domestic abuse records)

The above are often referred to as POLE categories.

2.3 Who has access to the PND?

All police forces in the UK plus other law enforcement agencies including the National Crime

Agency and British Transport Police upload information to the PND. These agencies can

also view the data held within the system.

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The appropriate use of PND

The PND must only be used for policing purposes. The policing purposes for which PND can

be used are as follows:

protecting life and property

preserving order

preventing the commission of offences

bringing offenders to justice

any duty or responsibility of the police arising from common or statute law.

PND must only be used to research lawful, necessary, proportionate, relevant and

realistic tasks.

All data contained on the PND has to comply with the Government Security Classifications

(GSC). Data is classified into three distinct categories. These are:

Official

Secret

Top Secret

These classifications are explained in a little more detail in Handling Information and

Intelligence.

When a search is conducted on PND it is essential that all the information is recorded

regarding the search to ensure that there is an appropriate policing purpose for the specific

information being requested and that the request is fully auditable.

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3. Revision Questions

What are the five main applications of the PNC?

What order should you give information to the PNC operator when asking them to

carry out a PNC check?

Why might personal details be kept on the PNC?

How is information on the PNC updated?

What are the nine different types of wanted/missing reports?

What does the mnemonic NASCH stand for and when would you use it?

What additional PNC names database searches can be conducted using

QUEST?

What information does a DVLA vehicle record include?

What markers may be added to a vehicle record on the PNC?

Why might a police report be added to a PNC vehicle record?

What types of lost/stolen or found property may be recorded on the PNC?

What is ViSOR?

What is Schengen?

What is the main purpose of the Police National Database (PND)?

What appropriate policing purposes can the PND be used for?

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4. Key Legislation

Computer Misuse Act 1990

Data Protection Act 1998.

5. E-learning

In addition to these notes the following e-learning is available via the College of Policing

Managed Learning Environment (MLE):

PND Overview for All. (This resource is not available to learners on the Certificate of

Knowledge in Policing Programme.)

This piece of e-learning is owned by the Home Office. It can be accessed through your

pnn address. The learning can be accessed at the location below

http://elearning.pnd.pnn.police.uk

SISII Alerts: An Introduction to the Schengen Information System (SISII). (This resource

is not available to learners on the Certificate of Knowledge in Policing programme.)

http://elearning.pnd.pnn.police.uk/

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