Business case for Livescan project

Report: 13
Date: 19 July 2001
By: Commissioner

Summary

This paper seeks approval from the Authority to procure 'LiveScan' services and lease equipment from the Suppliers of NAFIS (National Automated Fingerprint Identification System).

A. Recommendation

That the Authority supports the intention of the MPS to procure LiveScan services to support front line policing, and improve the overall quality of the NAFIS database.

B. Supporting information

Introduction and background

1. LiveScan is the national electronic fingerprint facility. It is provided by PITO (Police Information Technology Organisation) and is an extension of their NAFIS system. It provides the facility to digitally scan fingerprints in Custody Suites for immediate comparison against the national database. Verification of identity of the individual/prints can be obtained via the Forces fingerprint bureau, or by the investigating officer using other systems, such as the Police National Computer (PNC) to cross check demographic and criminal record information.

2. Objectives of the LiveScan system include:

• to correctly identify persons in custody for effective application of the criminal justice process;
• to correctly identify persons before they are released;
• to establish innocence as quickly as possible;
• to identify outstanding warrants against individuals;
• to associate persons in custody with outstanding offences;
• to identify persons with warning signals (e.g. drug, mental health, violent, medical) to ensure best protection for all persons in custody and the officers dealing.

3. Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabularies (HMIC) has identified LiveScan as a positive technological contribution to meet the needs of the Custody Suite and to support front line policing, as referenced in their protocols for custody/prisoner handling.

4. HMIC identified that one of the benefits of LiveScan is to contribute to the improvement of overall data quality on the Police National Computer (PNC), identifying opportunities for 'make-overs' (association of identical prints held under a variety of different nominals/false particulars).

5. The HMIC thematic 'What Price Policing?' recommends use of framework agreements, such as that established by PITO for the provision of NAFIS services.

6. The proposed implementation has the support of the MPS Fingerprint Bureau representative on the LiveScan Pilot Project Board. They have stated that the quality assurance functionality of the LiveScan software could significantly improve the quality of the NAFIS database.

7. The Scottish constabularies have been using digital fingerprint scanning and transmission facilities linked to their own fingerprint database for some years. In England and Wales nine constabularies took up pilot NAFIS LiveScan systems in September 2000. A further seven constabularies have systems on order; another two are considering placing orders. Indications, from these and our own pilots, are that expected benefits can be achieved and that training is a critical success factor in realising planned benefits.

Constraints

8. The minimum lease period for the service and equipment is five years from date of implementation of each LiveScan unit. This criterion was agreed between the NAFIS Supplier and PITO.

9. The unit pricing structure has been established between PITO and the supplier. The MPS has based the business case cost elements on these 'worst case' figures, but pre contract negotiation for cost reductions, based on the anticipated scale of the MPS project, is proving achievable.

10. This is a single tender for services - the supplier of NAFIS/LiveScan has been selected by PITO under OJEC rules (Official Journal of the European Commission).

11. There is a minimum four month lead time from ordering to delivery and installation of each unit. Orders for units placed in July 2001 would be rolled out in November 2001. Intent would be to roll out units across the MPS as soon as feasible.

Proposal

12. To procure LiveScan services to equip MPS Custody suites and specified training units.

C. Financial implications

Dependent on approval by the MPA, the MPS has identified sufficient funding to support the proposal over the five year period.

Summary of investment costs and savings

Cost over 5 years for up to 60 custody suites and 2 training sites - £12.0m.

This includes rental of the LiveScan service and equipment, one off installation costs and consumables.

The £12m is made up of £400k capital (£200k in this year's DoI development programme and £200k in the medium term capital plan for next year), and £11.6m revenue, which is the total of £670,000 in the 2001/2 DoI development programme and £10.9m running costs in future years.

Productivity savings have been identified which more than cover this expenditure. They include:

• officer time saved taking finger prints, tracing released persons and carriage of urgent fingerprints to NSY bureau by hand;
• early identification of persons giving false particulars;
• a reduction in bureau time per tenprint (a full set of a person's fingerprints);
• a reduction in the need to return/retake poor quality prints.

This frees up of the order of 153 person years of police time per year and 11 person years of civil staff time per year for improving our service delivery. The Project Board overseeing this work is committed to producing and executing a detailed benefits realisation plan, to ensure that the investment in this project produces an appropriate return. As is the case on all projects supported by the Directorate of Information, the progress against the benefits realisation plan will be monitored regularly by an oversight group.

There is also a reduction in the risk of incurring compensation payments for unlawful detention.

The number of crimes subsequently committed by persons who have given false particulars and/or have been released on bail cannot be accurately quantified, and, therefore, have not been included in the savings shown above.

Under the current system, prolific offenders, for example burglars, who regularly use false particulars could be arrested and charged under a false identity, and will be released before their fingerprints have been accurately identified. Subsequently they will continue to try to evade arrest and accurate identification. These individuals, knowing that they will probably receive a custodial sentence which will not be increased if arrested and charged with further similar offences, will commit a significant number of additional offences whilst at liberty. The cost of recording those subsequent crimes is in excess of £1,000 each. Thus, if only one prolific offender per site/per month is successfully identified by the use of LiveScan and remanded in custody, as opposed to being bailed back in to the community, the benefits would be significant. Again these have not been included above.

Finally, the LiveScan service is also perceived by the customer as making a significant contribution towards achieving MPS crime reduction targets. LiveScan will contribute to a reduction in the number of outstanding warrants, assist in the early identification and interception of PYOs (persistent youth offenders), and assist in the disposal of burglary offences, due to improved quality of NAFIS data.

D. Background papers

None.

E. Contact details

The author of this report is Caroline Pocklington, Project Manager, MPS Directorate of Information.

For information contact:

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

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