WPC Software, an exhibitor at the recent ACPO show at the NEC, is a supplier of computer applications designed for the UK police, with software installed in over two thirds of the forces in England & Wales. Clients also include local authorities, banks and communications companies.
The firm provides software for a range of police applications, from firearms and liquor licensing to missing persons and stolen vehicle admin. Below, some case studies.
Police in Nottingham are using information technology to combat alcohol-fuelled violence in the city centre.
Every weekend tens of thousands of young people descend on the city centre to enjoy a night out drinking in its many bars and clubs.
Nottingham now boasts 358 licensed premises within an area of one square mile but has gained an unenviable reputation for alcohol-fuelled violence.
The government believes moves to allow pubs and bars to stay open longer will help curb binge-drinking – blamed for an 11 per cent rise in violent offences last year. However, police fear extending licensing hours could lead to an increase in violent crime.
The Nottinghamshire force has installed a software system which combines the administrative needs of licensing with an intelligence capability that delivers information on alcohol-related crime and disorder, allowing officers to record information about licensed premises and the number of incidents and visits by police.
The Inn Keeper system is designed to help police identify problem premises and patterns of disorder much more quickly, thereby improving efficiency and reducing administrative effort and routine tasks.
All information related to licensed premises, including incidents of alcohol-related violence and disorder, under-age or after hours drinking, and other breaches of licensing conditions, is recorded on the system.
The database, which also includes details of all security staff working in licensed premises, has been central to the success of Nottinghamshire Policeโs alcohol-related violence reduction project. The aim of the £1.2m initiative was to target alcohol fuelled town centre violence and the fear of such violence.
The Nottinghamshire project resulted in an 18pc reduction in the number of reported alcohol-related assaults.
Insp Paul Winter of Nottinghamshire police, who is responsible for licensing in the city, said: "Having this information instantly available has proved invaluable when dealing with problem premises. All incidents that have taken place on licensed premises are recorded on Inn Keeper and the information is readily accessible across the force via an intranet.
"Under the New Licensing Legislation if a bar wishes to alter its operating schedule we can look at the number of incidents and visits made and decide whether or not to oppose the application. This will be particularly useful when we start receiving large numbers of applications under the new licensing legislation.
"Courts want to see clear evidence when considering whether to revoke a licence which is what we can provide through Inn Keeper – anecdotal evidence is no substitute for hard facts. Prior to having the database, it was much more difficult for us to produce the necessary evidence in good time when opposing an application."
Police in Nottingham estimate that as many as 110,000 people pour onto the city centre streets on weekend nights. By 2am there can be up to 40,000 hanging around and this is when the worst violence usually occurs.
The Nottinghamshire force has used data from Inn Keeper to show that 10 premises are responsible for 40pc of violent incidents in the city centre.
"Each month we draw up a league table of the worst premises using information from the database," said Insp Winter. "Licensees are confronted with the evidence and this usually galvanises them into action because no-one wants to be at the top of the list.
"But the emphasis is on working with licensees to reduce the number of incidents and the demands placed upon us, rather than naming and shaming them. Details of any agreements made with licensees or plans of action, such as altering admissions policy, are recorded on the database so that progress can be monitored effectively. In some cases, however, licensees will be issued with written warnings if we donโt see any improvements.
"Inn Keeper provides us with a cost-effective way of dealing with alcohol related violence because itโs much better to solve the problem at source, rather than putting more and more police on the streets. It also allows our licensing officers to focus their energies more effectively – they can see if their visits to premises have been worthwhile. Without this database, the situation in Nottingham could be considerably worse than it is."
While alcohol-related violence and disorder has increased nationally over the past three years, the figures have remained static in Nottingham despite an increase in the number of licensed premises in the city centre.
The Inn Keeper system, which has been developed by Bristol-based WPC Software, has been updated to comply with changes to the licensing laws in England and Wales, which will see responsibility for licensing move from magistrates to local authorities.
Among the provisions in the updated Licensing Act 2003 is a plan to combine alcohol and entertainment licences into one single licence. Users of Inn Keeper will be able to input details under the new licensing regime, such as information about alcohol and non-alcohol operating hours, and details about premises, including fire exits and capacity.
They can continue recording information under the existing regime during the transitional period which starts on February 7 next year, when licensing authorities can begin processing applications under the new Act. The Inn Keeper system is also being updated to add wireless functionality. This means that officers on patrol will be able to use mobile devices to check whether a particular premises is adhering to its license conditions. This can be done in real time without the need to fill in paperwork or make calls to the command and control centre.
The large number of people reported missing each year places a massive workload on the police. A computer system piloted by officers in the West Midlands is now helping police forces across the country investigate such cases more quickly.
More than 200,000 people are reported missing in the UK each year, according to Home Office estimates.
The vast majority return safe and sound having gone missing of their own accord – but thousands do not.
Police forces dealing with large numbers of missing persons reports have to respond quickly to those cases where the welfare of the individual is of major concern. This presents officers with the complex problem of how best to manage time and resources.
One solution has been pioneered by West Midlands Police which receives more than 11,000 reports of missing people each year. The force has computerised its entire missing persons recording and investigation processes using the COMPACT (Community Policing Activities and Case Tracking) software system.
The system is designed to speed up the process of investigating and recording missing persons cases. Thanks to COMPACT officers can access and share information about a missing person at the click of a button, and are able to carry out a risk assessment on everyone who disappears.
Each individual is ranked as high, medium or low risk in line with ACPO (Association of Chief Police Officers) guidelines and COMPACT builds up case histories of people who go missing frequently, providing officers with valuable information that is continually updated.
A โbriefing sheetโ summary, containing details and photographs of missing persons, is displayed when users log onto the system. These can be easily printed for officers to take on patrol with them as a ready reference.
Computerising the recording and investigation of missing persons cases has resulted in considerable savings in resources, according to Detective Superintendent Derek Forest of West Midlands Police.
"COMPACT has enabled us to streamline our entire missing persons process and has helped West Midlands Police make great savings in manpower and resources," he said.
"Persistent runaways from local authority homes had been a major problem for us. Because the COMPACT system operates in real time our officers can see how many times they have gone missing before, set a risk assessment and even suggest places to look for them based on previous enquiries. Having accurate information, that can be quickly accessed, has helped us achieve a huge reduction in this type of missing persons case."
West Midlands Police completed a review of its policy and procedures relating to the management of missing and found persons enquiries in early 2002, prior to the publication of ACPO guidelines designed to standardise the approach to such investigations. This has been supported by the introduction of the COMPACT system, which was originally called IMPACT.
Details of missing person cases had previously been filed on paper which is more time-consuming and can delay potentially important door-to-door inquiries.
COMPACT allows officers to continually reassess risk levels associated with a missing person, for example when new information comes to light.
It also manages all the information created by the missing persons investigation process and distributes relevant information throughout the investigating force at the touch of a button.
Senior officers in the West Midlands can monitor progress and results using COMPACT which runs across 21 command units on an intranet system. This means that for the first time, force headquarters in Birmingham can get an accurate picture of the missing persons situation across the whole force area at any time.
COMPACT also includes special security features that โlockโ particularly sensitive cases, such as individuals fleeing forced marriages who donโt want to be found. Access to such information is password protected to ensure anonymity of the person concerned.
COMPACT has now been adopted by ten police forces, including the Leicestershire Constabulary, West Mercia Constabulary and Nottinghamshire Police.
Police in Staffordshire have implanted a computer system that is designed to help organisations deal with cars damaged in road traffic accidents and other problem vehicles more quickly.
The Staffordshire force is the first to install ELVISโVR (the Easy Link Vehicle Information System for Vehicle Recovery) which is being used to speed up the recovery of all vehicles removed from the countyโs roads.
The new software system has been designed by Bristol-based WPC Software to be suitable for any multi-agency car clear scheme where local authorities, police and fire brigades, and vehicle recovery operators combine resources. This will save time and money when tackling the growing problem of unwanted vehicles on the roads, be they abandoned, stolen, used in crime or involved in accidents.
For many police forces and councils, keeping track of vehicles that fall within their responsibility can be a laborious and expensive process, particularly if vandals get to the vehicle before the removal agent or if ownership cannot be established.
The system speeds up communications between the agencies involved by reducing the need for paperwork. It also notifies removal agents automatically and records all information about a vehicle’s subsequent removal and the nature of its disposal.
Staffordshire Police has installed ELVIS-VR for use by its Vehicle Recovery Unit and its 12 vehicle recovery contractors who will have access to the system via a secure controlled internet connection.
Allan Edwards, Staffordshire Policeโs vehicle recovery administrator, said: "We are pleased to be associated with WPC Software in the introduction of a new IT audit, administration and tracking system to enhance the force’s current vehicle recovery scheme. Staffordshire Police is the first to introduce such a system with the company and I am confident it will greatly assist the efficiency and monitoring of our scheme."
Dan Le Brun, WPC Softwareโs business manager for ELVIS-VR, said: "Thousands of vehicles are removed each month and there is a significant paper trail of faxes and letters between the various police departments and the vehicle contractors.
"The system will eradicate this paper chase and increase the productivity of all those involved in vehicle recovery, reducing workload and saving costs."
