This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Scottish Criminal Record Office
15/12/2006
The Scottish Criminal Record Office (SCRO) has made steady progress in addressing issues raised in 2004 in a Primary Inspection report and has made a clear commitment to improve its performance, according to a review report published today by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC).
The report shows that of the 13 recommendations contained in the Primary Inspection Report in 2004, eight have been completed.
In particular the Inspectorate was encouraged to find that:
- a robust consultation process has been developed to inform and shape SCRO's corporate planning process
- a revised race equality scheme with action plan has been introduced
- and an effective performance management regime has been implemented
In addition, HMIC found that many of the areas of work in progress identified in the 2004 report have been fully implemented. These include the creation and adoption of a communications strategy, provision of interpreters for Crimestoppers and support for human resources and business administration.
Assistant Inspector of Constabulary Malcolm Dickson said:
"This report has found that overall SCRO provides a good level of service to the police service in Scotland, the criminal justice system and the public. Although it is a relatively small organisation in policing terms, it provides critically important and skilled support services, and probably does this better today than at any time in its history.
"This review inspection has been conducted at a time of significant change for the SCRO. Next April will see the establishment of the Scottish Police Services Authority (SPSA) which will bring together police training, criminal records and the development of national information systems, as well as the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency.
"The authority will be directly responsible for providing a range of support services to Scottish police forces on a national basis, including the development of a new national forensic science service.
"It is highly likely that following the establishment of the SPSA, SCRO will not exist in its current format. However, the findings of this review will be especially relevant for those governing and managing the new authority and the bodies connected to it.
"The opportunities are now there for those who deliver that service, and the new SPSA which will manage that provision, to build on the strengths of the past and find new ways to add value to service provision in the future."
On the other five recommendations some progress had been made in all of them but HMIC considers that this was not yet sufficient to justify discharge.
Those areas that will be revisited at the next inspection include:
- the integration of the Scottish Fingerprint Service and Scottish Forensic Science Service
- a national stolen property index
- arrangements for the hosting of national computer applications
In one area, relating to the ownership of data stored on the Criminal History System, HMIC has considered it necessary to make a further recommendation to ACPOS to address additional issues identified during this inspection.
The SCRO was established in 1960 as a common police service to provide criminal record information to Scottish police forces. The organisation has evolved significantly over the decades and today it has a wider client base which extends beyond its traditional customers within the police service.
It is recognised as a centre of expertise to manage information for the police service in Scotland, the wider criminal justice community and the public by providing and maintaining services relating to criminal justice information; intelligence information; Crimestoppers Scotland; disclosure information and fingerprints.