A Force to be reckoned with

Surrey Police boasts one of the lowest crime rates in the country, living up to its slogan "With you, making Surrey safer".

The force has traditionally been an early adopter of new technology. The implementation of an intranet a year ago revolutionised access to vital information. Key parts of this information are names and addresses, which are managed by the Experian QAS suite of software. The software includes QAS NameTracer, which returns accurate names and addresses, and QAS Batch, used to clean and maintain legacy address data.

A geographically based Command And Despatch system (CAD) from Intergraph forms another important component of data management. Linked to QAS, it is used to pinpoint addresses and to locate patrol cars close to incidents.

The installation of an intranet did a lot to improve access to information. However, individual records were still difficult to find and not always up to date. A force-wide name and address look-up facility was a clear requirement.

Implementing Experian QAS

In 1997, Surrey Police first contacted Experian QAS. While QAS NameTracer fulfilled most of the force's criteria, it did not feature a web interface. QAS set about developing the CGI software needed. QAS Nametracer and QAS Batch were installed alongside CAD in July 1997. First, the Batch module was set up for the cleaning of historical data. QAS Batch rationalised existing entries, updated out-of-date addresses and flagged records which could not be verified.

QAS NameTracer was installed next and CAD staff were trained to use the system. Phil Scutchings, Director of Information Service said: "Implementation was a painless process. QAS helped us to tailor the software and to set up an indexing process for easy retrieval."

Word of Experian QAS spread throughout the force within days of installation. Operational staff received requests for the software from outside the department. "News of the system spread like a virus and instigated a force-wide rollout," said Mr Scutchings.

Working with GIS

By now, a GIS system was used throughout the county. Experian QAS tied in with this system, taking its usage beyond verification to include locating patrol cars. Now, when 999 calls are taken, operational staff verify the callers' address details, while the nearest patrol cars are instantly identified and notified.

Experian QAS and the GIS system proved to be a winning combination in more than one respect. The Crime & Disorder Act 1998 called for detailed analysis of crime information. To this end, data was fed from a 1997-1998 audit into QAS Batch and tied to a grid from the GIS system. This gave detailed information on crime hot-spots. GIS Manager Greg Brown said: "Every crime was given a coordinate on the grid. We were able to see, for example, that a high percentage of 'street incidents' occurred in Woodbridge Road after pub closing time. This sort of information is helping us to plan for deployment."

A Successful Project

Since the force-wide roll-out one year ago, Experian QASis used by 2,500 users on 1,100 PCs. The intranet provides universal access to the data held on the central NT server. The project's success has not gone unnoticed. Surrey Police collected the GIS Project Award at the 1999 Information Management Awards sponsored by Deloitte Touche Ross.

In the words of Inspector Kevin Miles: "At the end of the day, the force processes information about people. People live in places. The need for name and address management is pervasive throughout the force and Experian QAS has certainly fit the bill."

Experian QAS is the leading supplier of address management software to the Police in the UK, with a dedicated account management team to meet the specific requirements of the police force.