New UK Road Policing Project Moves Forward

27 January 2009, 1:05pm

27 January 2009 - A new information service that will help police to identify road accident hotspots and reduce the number of road-users killed or seriously injured has taken a major step forward.

The NPIA and the Department for Transport have selected IPL as the supplier to develop software for collision recording and sharing.

The service, known as CRASH, will be introduced in three police forces in early 2010 before being rolled out nationally across England and Wales.

This project will substantially improve the effectiveness of road policing by:

• Replacing the collision reporting forms traditionally completed by police officers at the scene of an accident;
• Improving the accuracy and speed with which road traffic collision data is gathered;
• Providing more up-to-date information on collisions; and
• Removing excessive paperwork.

The service, which will be managed by NPIA PNC Services, will allow police officers to enter information either on a handheld computer or a vehicle data-terminal. It will link details entered at the scene directly to the Police National Computer, enable officers to make digital ‘drawings’ of collision scenes and automatically send information to the Department for Transport.

Where multiple collisions occur it will also allow several officers to simultaneously complete different parts of the same report, meaning less time in the station and more time policing roads.

Road Safety Minister Jim Fitzpatrick said: “Britain has one of the best road safety records in the world but we are determined to do everything we can to continue making our roads even safer. Detailed, accurate and up-to-date information is vital if we are to tackle the causes of crashes on our roads so I am delighted that this important project is getting under way.”

Richard Earland, NPIA Chief Information Officer said: “We are delighted to have IPL onboard as the supplier for this exciting new project. By allowing officers attending road traffic accidents to build up information with such unprecedented accuracy and speed the service will contribute substantially to the ultimate objective of making our roads safer for all users.”

About NPIA

NPIA is a single national organisation created to support effective policing. It provides expertise in areas as diverse as information and communications technology, support to information and intelligence sharing, core police processes, managing change and recruiting, developing and deploying people.

The organisation’s creation in April 2007 streamlined and simplified the way that policing improvement is delivered locally and nationally. NPIA works for the police service and is governed by a tripartite board comprising ACPO, APA, Home Office and independent members. The ACPO President is a member of the NPIA Board.

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