Government launches offenders database

Police forces across the UK have gone live on a new computer system, which allows them to share information on some of Britain’s most dangerous and violent sex offenders.

The £10 million Violent and Sex Offenders Registers (ViSOR) was built by the Police Information Technology Organisation (PITO) in partnership with police and probation professionals and aims to stop re-offending and protect the public.

The database, which contains information on nearly 50,000 people, holds information on those convicted of sex offences and violent crimes carrying sentences of over 12 months.

However, the database also contains information on those who have not been convicted but are still considered to pose a risk to the general public.

The new system will make it easier for police and probation services to check information on offenders anywhere in the UK. Previously, information had been held on local, unconnected databases, making it more difficult to track offenders who moved around the country.

The database includes a photographic library of the offender over time, including distinguishing marks and tattoos, the Home Office announced, making it harder for individual offenders to alter their appearance and move to a different part of the country.

Commenting on ViSOR, Home Office Minister Fiona MacTaggart said: “ViSOR is a big step forward for public protection. The introduction of ViSOR means that, for example, intelligence entered by a probation officer in the north of the country will become immediately searchable by a police officer in the south.

“Its search and retrieval capabilities will also make it a powerful tool in solving major crimes such as abductions, assaults and murders.

"ViSOR will cut bureaucracy for police and probation officers and is a valuable addition to the resources available to all those who work in public protection."

Liz Hill, Senior Responsible Owner for ViSOR in the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) said: "For the first time, staff in the Police, the Probation Service, and the Prison service will be able to share intelligence and risk assessment information instantly via a common national database. As a result, offenders will be monitored and managed more effectively, and the public will be better protected."

ViSOR was rolled out to all police forces in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It will be rolled out across NOMS in early 2006.

(KMcA/SP)