Sir Ian Magee has reviewed for the Government criminality information.
It covers the recording and sharing information about criminality within the UK and between the UK and other countries in the interests of public protection (or rather the lack of it).<br><br>ACPO President Chief Constable Ken Jones said: “The Government has today accepted all 31 recommendations of the Magee review either fully or in principal. Having identified to the Home Office the opportunity to engage in a public protection review, ACPO welcomed Sir Ian Magee’s review and has already put in place a number of solutions which are delivering real improvements. <br><br>“There is now a Code of Practice and Guidance on the management of police information and a new criminal records central computer being delivered by the National Police Improvement Agency (NPIA) is in the final phase of design. The ACPO Police National Computer Access Panel has put in place effective governance on data sharing. Through its Criminal Records Office, ACPO is already working closely with a large number of partner agencies and Government departments where information exchange is taking place on a daily basis.<br><br>“What is clear is the critical nature of effective exchange of criminality information to public protection and achieving a safer environment for all our neighbourhoods. The police service is determined to continue to play, with key partner agencies, a leading role in this endeavour.”<br><br>In the Government response to the review, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said: "Ultimately this is all about ensuring that frontline staff have access to the information they need, when they need it, to make difficult decisions relevant to public protection."
And as the Government response admitted: "The Review highlights the need for agreement across Government
epartments, agencies and services on a clear strategic direction for the management and use of criminality information both domestically and internationally. There also needs to be effective governance to clarify responsibilities for the management of criminality information and help us address risks around information handling and security before they turn into immediate problems. Data sharing and data protection are not conflicting objectives. We must be positive in helping to strike an appropriate balance between them."
