Cumbria Police is using software from police IT specialist, ABM UK, to supply its Police Informant Management System, PIMS.
Cumbria Police is using software from police IT specialist, ABM UK, to supply its Police Informant Management System, PIMS. By using the computer system senior police officers in Cumbria are able to proactively task individual informants to provide intelligence on drug related and other organised crime. Cumbria police is employing an intelligence-led policing strategy by tasking informants to provide information on a particular problem or crime trend and then monitoring and assessing their performance. Gary Wood, Managing Director at ABM said, ?PIMS enables the police to use informants more effectively. At the same time it is critically important to ensure the integrity of informant information and to make sure those involved are properly and safely handled.? Cumbria Superintendent Peter Kirkbride says: ?We?ve recognised and are keen to utilise the full potential of informants to provide crucial criminal intelligence more quickly and cost effectively than other police methods such as surveillance or undercover operations. PIMS enables us to focus resources on identified police problems such as drug trafficking.? PIMS, already in use by 29 forces and agencies, has been designed to ensure the professionalism and accountability of police procedures and the integrity and credibility of information gained from informants. To ensure security, informant handlers only have access to their own contacts and the controller who supervises the handler can only see those records with which he or she is directly involved. The system encompasses a full risk assessment and performance module. Before any action is taken, officers are encouraged to conduct a risk assessment regarding the health and safety of those involved as well as ethical and cost-effectiveness issues. These assessments are recorded in PIMS and the data is used to identify the most suitable informants to work on specific police initiatives.
