Police National Computer


The Police National Computer is a crime information center and database used by members of the United Kingdom law enforcement and other non-law enforcement agencies, maintaned by the Criminal Records Office under the governance of the National Police Chiefs' Council. Originally developed in the early 1970s, PNC1 went 'live' in 1974, providing UK police forces with online access to the lost/stolen vehicle database. The vehicle owners application quickly followed, giving the police online access to the names/addresses of every vehicle owner in the UK.
The PNC started holding nominal information based on the computerisation of criminal records held by the Metropolitan Police and other police forces in the late 1970s. These records could be accessed online in real-time by all UK police forces via the "Names" applications. It now consists of several databases available 24 hours a day, giving access to information of national and local matters. As of 18 January 2021, Kit Malthouse said that there are 13 million person records, 58.5 million driver records, and 62.6 million vehicle records stored on the PNC. The PNC is currently the responsibility of the Home Office. Between 2007 and 2012, it was maintained by the National Policing Improvement Agency which inherited the activities of the now disbanded Police Information Technology Organisation. It is to be decommissioned upon the expiry of its current support contract in March 2026, being replaced by the Law Enforcement Data Service system.

History

In 1969 the National Police Computer was to open in 1972. Another government computer system was the GPO National Data Processing System, set up in 1969.
Since its inception in 1974, the PNC has undergone numerous changes that were gradually introduced. The most notable was the introduction of the Phoenix in 1995. This format has been retained to the present day.
The PNC is based on a Fujitsu BS2000/OSD SE700 mainframe and developed in ADABAS, with recent PNC applications held on UNIX servers. There are around 26,000 directly connected terminals and 25,000 terminals which are connected via local police force computer systems. The mainframe is connected to the end user by a multitude of ways, for high volume users via secure IP network, for low volume users a secure dial-up link provided by Cable & Wireless. Another connection method is via an X.25 packet-switched network; this method is being phased out. Databases for vehicles and driver licences are copied from the DVLA databases in the early morning. The mainframe server is located at the Hendon Data Centre with back-up servers located around the UK.
In 2005 the only back-up server was located next to Hertfordshire Oil Storage Terminal in Buncefield, which was the scene of a major civil emergency when it burned to the ground in December 2005. According to the Home Office the location had been assessed as low-risk notwithstanding that the site was from a disaster hazard and the site and its surroundings burned to the ground.

Users

Requests for access to PNC are decided upon by the PNC Information Access Panel. The members of the panel are the National Police Chiefs' Council, the Association of Police Authorities, and the Home Office. Delegated or subcontracted users exist.
Organisations with full access:
Other organisations have restricted access to names file only.
PIAP has defined the following organisations as non-police and has agreed that authorised users within these organisations can have Names file only access commensurate with their previously stated and agreed business needs.
Non-police organisations with access to PNC:
Non-Police OrganisationRead and write accessRead-only accessAccess to PHOENIX/names index
Access Northern Ireland-✓✓
Belfast Harbour PoliceUnknownUnknownUnknown
Belfast International Airport ConstabularyUnknownUnknownUnknown
Cambridge University ConstabularyUnknownUnknownUnknown
Canterbury Cathedral Close ConstablesUnknownUnknownUnknown
Charity Commission for England and Wales-✓✓
Chester Cathedral ConstablesUnknownUnknownUnknown
Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service-✓✓
Civil Nuclear Constabulary-✓✓
College of Policing-✓✓
Competition and Markets Authority-✓✓
Criminal Cases Review Commission-✓✓
Defence Vetting AgencyUnknownUnknownUnknown
Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory ReformUnknownUnknownUnknown
Department for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsUnknownUnknownUnknown
Department for TransportUnknownUnknownUnknown
Department for Work and Pensions-✓✓
Disclosure and Barring Service-✓✓
Disclosure Scotland-✓✓
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency-✓-
Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency-✓✓
Environment Agency-✓✓
Epping Forest KeepersUnknownUnknownUnknown
Falmouth Docks PoliceUnknownUnknownUnknown
Financial Conduct Authority-✓✓
Financial Services AuthorityUnknownUnknownUnknown
Foreign and Commonwealth OfficeUnknownUnknownUnknown
Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority-✓✓
G4SUnknownUnknownUnknown
Hampstead Heath ConstabularyUnknownUnknownUnknown
Health and Safety Executive-✓✓
His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services-✓✓
His Majesty's Prison Service-✓✓
His Majesty's Revenue and Customs✓-✓
National Highways✓--
Hillingdon Parks Patrol ServiceUnknownUnknownUnknown
Home Office✓-✓
House of Commons-✓✓
House of Lords-✓✓
Independent Office for Police Conduct-✓✓
Kew ConstabularyUnknownUnknownUnknown
Larne Harbour PoliceUnknownUnknownUnknown
Liverpool Cathedral ConstablesUnknownUnknownUnknown
Marine Management Organisation-✓✓
Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency-✓✓
Mersey Tunnels Police-✓✓
Ministry of Justice -✓✓
Ministry of Justice ✓-✓
National Air Traffic Services-✓✓
National Assembly for Wales-✓✓
NHS Counter Fraud and Security Management Service Division-✓✓
Natural Resources Wales-✓✓
Office for Civil Nuclear SecurityUnknownUnknownUnknown
Office of Fair TradingUnknownUnknownUnknown
Parks Police ServiceUnknownUnknownUnknown
Port of Bristol PoliceUnknownUnknownUnknown
Port of Dover PoliceUnknownUnknownUnknown
Port of Felixstowe PoliceUnknownUnknownUnknown
Port of Liverpool Police-✓✓
Port of Portland PoliceUnknownUnknownUnknown
Port of Tilbury Police-✓✓
Post Office-✓✓
Royal Mail✓-✓
Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals-✓✓
Serious Fraud Office✓-✓
States of Jersey Customs and Immigration Service-✓✓
Tees and Hartlepool Port Authority Harbour PoliceUnknownUnknownUnknown
The Insolvency Service-✓✓
Thurrock Council-✓✓
Trading Standards-✓✓
UK Security Vetting-✓✓
UK Visas and ImmigrationUnknownUnknownUnknown
Vehicle and Operator Services AgencyUnknownUnknownUnknown
Wandsworth Parks and Events PoliceUnknownUnknownUnknown
York Minster PoliceUnknownUnknownUnknown