Police Data System ‘Clunky’ as Gun Licence Checks Face Information Gaps
A senior police officer has acknowledged that the current system for tracking information on gun licence holders is “clunky,” with risks that intelligence crucial to public safety could be missed between assessments.
Assistant Commissioner Kirsty Heyward, who oversees police prosecutions and licensing enforcement, has provided evidence on the current processes for gathering intelligence on firearm licence holders.
A ‘Clunky’ Spreadsheet at the Core
According to evidence presented, the police force is currently reliant on a “clunky” spreadsheet to track how information is allocated within its intelligence, analytics, and information management system. This manual process is being flagged as a significant limitation.
The Risk: Information Lost Between Assessments
The evidence highlighted a specific concern regarding the complexity of the application process. Multiple people are involved in assessing a single gun licence application, which requires them to access information from various agencies at different times.
This multi-layered process poses a direct risk that critical information could be missed during transitions between different adjudicators.
Without a unified system, the potential for oversight increases as an application moves from one desk to another.
A New ‘Cradle to Grave’ Solution
In response to these identified risks, police have announced plans to overhaul the system. They intend to trial a “cradle to grave” case management system specifically for licence holders.
This new digital solution is designed to integrate all data points and decisions throughout a licence’s lifecycle, enabling “total ownership” of the decision-making process for a single adjudicator or team. The goal is to ensure that no detail, from application to renewal, is overlooked.