Surrey Police
08/06/2023 Surrey Police explain the process about a VRM having ‘fallen off’ the PNC LoS register (PSD/CO/2050/22)
The force procedure for LOS vehicle reporting on PNC is as follows:
1. Loser reports to force (usually via telephone/ICAD[Incident Report]) and a ‘fast-time’ LOS vehicle report is created on PNC by FCR [Force Control Room/Contact. This is a PNC LOS report but at this stage remains unconfirmed so has a 6-week shelf life.
2. The ICAD is reviewed by Contact Centre for allocation/Filing. If the case is reported/created on NICHE [Police Information System] then Contact complete a Message Switch (MSS) form to Data Bureau with the details and Data Bureau update PNC with the latest details of the investigation, the NICHE Occurrence number (to replace the ICAD), the OIC and at that point the LOS is confirmed. As MSS is currently out of action following difficulties with the ICT platform, the contingency is in place force wide to email the information in, instead.
That is the basic process.
Following on from this, there is an additional data quality process for PNC reports called DAFs (Daily Activity Files). These are a high volume of prints that are sent from Hendon to Data Bureau each week which detail the reports we own on PNC in sections across Names, Vehicles and Property. In relation to Vehicles, amongst these reports, there is one that highlights vehicles with LOS reports which are coming to the end of their weed period.
On 24th January 2023, a member of staff emailed Data Bureau highlighting the issue of the vehicle concerned.
The vehicle appears to have had an unconfirmed LOS report entered on to PNC from the initial ICAD at 1430hrs on 9th December 2022. This means the weed date would have been 19th January 2023 if unconfirmed.
The report appears to have remained unconfirmed as no Message Switch or email was sent from Contact Centre to Data Bureau, therefore the report would have dropped off on 19th . Unfortunately, owing to a post-Xmas backlog of work in Data Bureau, the DAF report (additional weed safety net) was also not addressed in time so the report did weed and was re-entered on PNC as a result some 5 days after it had
dropped-off.
As a result of this identified issue, a Routine Orders was circulated on 1st February 2023: SURREY – Circulation of Stolen Vehicles on PNC – IMPORTANT Reminder for Investigating Officers and Staff.
In addition, extra resources were allocated within Data Bureau to address the DAF backlog, which is now up to date.”
27/11/2023 update in response to our request for the ‘01/02/2023 Circular re Stolen Vehicles on PNC‘:
Investigating officers and staff are reminded please of the need to confirm stolen vehicles on PNC so they are retained beyond the initial period implemented via FCR fast-time updates via ICAD.
Failure to do this can result in the ‘unconfirmed‘ PNC circulation being deleted from the system after a 6-week period and opportunities to recover the vehicle being lost.
When a vehicle is reported Lost or Stolen, the investigating officer has the responsibility for updating PNC and the subsequent references on NICHE. This must be done by the submission of a Lost/Stolen Vehicle Message Switch (MSS) to Data Bureau. During the current indisposition of MSS on Windows 10, the contingency of sending an email to !Data Bureau with the necessary details applies.