Services undertaken for the criminal records bureau

Report: 11
Date: 15 May 2001
By: Commissioner

Summary

This report sets out for the information of members the services to be undertaken for the Criminal Records Bureau under Part V of the Police Act 1997, together with the associated financial arrangements. The latter were approved by the Commissioner's Management Board on 28 March 2001. The Committee is asked to note the report.

A. Recommendation

Members are asked to note the report.

B. Supporting information

Introduction

1. Part V of the Police Act 1997 provides that the Secretary of State shall issue criminal record certificates [1] to individuals who seek employment with vulnerable client groups (including children or the elderly) or who work in other sectors where the identification of past criminal activities or associations is desirable. Police forces in general have a duty to supply information to the Secretary of State, from local police records, to inform the issuing of the enhanced certificates.

2. In order to give effect to the provisions of the 1997 Act the Secretary of State has created the Criminal Records Bureau. The CRB, an executive agency of the Home Office, is responsible for the development and implementation of a programme to receive applications, initiate searches by police forces and issue certificates. Service is expected to commence on 9th November 2001 and the MPS has created a project board, chaired by the Assistant Commissioner (Special Operations) to set in place suitable arrangements to enable the MPS to comply with the required start date.

Overview

3. Forces supplying information to the CRB will be entitled to receive a fee for each search undertaken locally at the CRB's request. The CRB has also accepted that forces will incur certain start-up costs in preparing to deliver the specified service. The MPS has negotiated special funding arrangements with the CRB to improve the absolute level of financial support and also the terms under which this is to be provided.

Start-up costs

4. Support to the value of £5.4 million has been agreed to finance a package of measures including, recruitment, training, software development, office accommodation works and data input.

Running costs

5. The MPS is making arrangements to set up a CRB Service Unit to deliver services to the CRB. In 2001/02 this will require the employment of up to 100 additional staff and the cost of delivering service is currently estimated at £1.3 million. The costs of the CRB Service Unit will be recoverable from the CRB by receipt of a fee for each search undertaken. It is expected that the operation of the CRB Service Unit will be broadly budget neutral to the MPS.

C. Financial implications

The start-up costs referred to in paragraph 4 will be used to finance both revenue and capital expenditure in 2001/02. The sums needing to be recorded in the MPA's revenue and capital budgets will be reported to this Committee - when the start-up programme has been finalised - as part of the established budget monitoring procedure. The revenue budget will be updated to reflect the income and expenditure arising from the establishment and operation of the CRB Service Unit on the same basis.

D. Background papers

• Police Act 1997

C. Contact details

The author of this report is Brendan Arnold, Assistant Director of Finance.

For information contact:

MPA general: 020 7202 0202
Media enquiries: 020 7202 0217/18

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