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Fears over database on criminals | Fears over database on criminals |
(about 7 hours later) | |
A probation chief has raised concerns about a new computer database that holds information on sex offenders and violent and high-risk criminals. | |
The Chief Inspector of Probation in England and Wales, Andrew Bridges, said there were signs the system was not as accessible to staff as it should be. | The Chief Inspector of Probation in England and Wales, Andrew Bridges, said there were signs the system was not as accessible to staff as it should be. |
The Violent and Sex Offender Register (ViSOR) is used by UK police forces. | The Violent and Sex Offender Register (ViSOR) is used by UK police forces. |
Mr Bridges said he was "fearful" about what inspectors might find when they examined the system in more detail. | |
ViSOR is a secure database containing details of 77,000 criminals. | ViSOR is a secure database containing details of 77,000 criminals. |
System roll-out | System roll-out |
It connects police to a national computer network so that officers can share information. | It connects police to a national computer network so that officers can share information. |
Previously, police and other agencies relied on local databases to record details of offenders. | Previously, police and other agencies relied on local databases to record details of offenders. |
Since April it has been rolled out to prisons and probation offices in England and Wales. | Since April it has been rolled out to prisons and probation offices in England and Wales. |
But Mr Bridges said there were early indications that probation officers were encountering technical and logistical problems, with difficulties retrieving and entering information. | But Mr Bridges said there were early indications that probation officers were encountering technical and logistical problems, with difficulties retrieving and entering information. |
His concerns are touched on in a follow-up report into the case of Gary Chester-Nash, who murdered a cleaner in Cornwall in 2005 while under probation supervision. | His concerns are touched on in a follow-up report into the case of Gary Chester-Nash, who murdered a cleaner in Cornwall in 2005 while under probation supervision. |
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