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IMPACT

The IMPACT Programme is improving the ability of the Police Service to manage and share information to prevent and detect crime and make communities safer.

Currently, information held by one force is unavailable to other forces. By giving the police the ability to find and access operational information across England and Wales, the IMPACT Programme is transforming policing in the UK.

The key elements of the IMPACT Programme are:

  • Management of Police Information (MoPI): helping forces to meet common standards for police information management through a statutory Code of Practice and associated guidance
  • IMPACT Nominal Index (INI): is enabling forces to establish whether any other force holds information on a person of interest
  • Police National Database (PND): will provide a single access point for searching information held across all of the forces' main local operational information systems and national police systems.

Draft Code of Practice

The NPIA has published a draft Code of Practice on the operation and use of the PND. The aim of the code is to promote consistent and lawful use of the PND across the Police Service. Please direct any comments on the draft to impact.programme@npia.pnn.police.uk by 1 February 2010.

What we are delivering

We have delivered a new information-sharing capability to the Police Service through the IMPACT Nominal Index (INI), which allows authorised users in one force to quickly identify which other forces hold information on a person of interest.

The Programme is supporting forces on the implementation of the Code of Practice on the Management of Police Information (MoPI), which all forces must comply with by 2010. The Code and accompanying guidance are designed to ensure national consistency.

Background

The Programme was established following Sir Michael Bichard's inquiry into the Soham murders. His recommendations included the need to improve the management and sharing of information and intelligence by the Police Service at national and local levels, and for IT systems to support this.

The IMPACT Programme will ultimately deliver the Police National Database (PND) a national intelligence sharing system. In addition to protecting children and vulnerable adults, the PND will also provide significant benefits to public safety as a whole. It is anticipated that deployment of Phase 1 of the PND will be underway in 2010.

Find out more about the Bichard recommendations.