Police want second computer

Press, 26 December 1984, Page 5

Police want second computer

PA Wellington The police want to use their Wanganui computer terminal network to access a second computer on which non-classified material will be stored. Computer terminals are placed in security areas of police stations and are only available to sworn police staff. The new proposal would allow terminals to be placed in non-secure areas and they would be used by some civilian staff. The Wanganui Computer Centre manager, Mr Doug Hornsby, said that the police had approached him about the possibility of using the network. A report was being prepared and it would go to the Wanganui Computer Centre committee in February for discussion. Mr Hornsby said that the police wanted to use the second computer for admin-

istrative matters, including store records.

However, the police are also understood to be keen to use any second computer as an aid for staff involved in big crime cases. Mr Hornsby said that the Wanganui Computer Centre terminal network would simply be adapted to allow it to be used to access a second computer. Computer technology was such that access to the Wanganui computer itself, where all criminal records are stored, could be blocked from terminals in nonsecure areas of a police station. The second system could also be arranged so that it could not be crossed with the Wanganui computer even by people using it in secure areas.

Present legislation will not allow the police to use the Wanganui computer terminals for any purpose

other than accessing the Wanganui computer. The Minister of Justice, Mr Palmer, said on November 28 that advances in computer technology were such that it could be appropriate to review the Wanganui Computer Act. A possibility was that the Wanganui computer could be used for more purposes without threatening privacy. “It may be that the need for interfaces with other computer systems should be recognised,” he said. “At present we run the risk of allowing technology to be used at much less than its capacity because of concern about privacy. We can protect privacy and take advantage of technology.” Mr Hornsby said that the police proposal, if approved, would save the police millions of dollars. The present terminal network, which he compared to a

telephone network, would not need to be duplicated if approval was given for the police to use it for accessing a second computer. He said that the police, and other justice-related departments such as the Ministry of Transport and the Justice Department court section, were keen to use the expertise of Wanganui Computer Centre staff when developing extra computer systems.

Part of the police proposal to the Wanganui Computer Centre was to use the second computer as a crime solving aid. In Britain, computer experts are refining a computer programme for use in major crimes. The programme cross references information.

The police in England believe such a programme would have pinpointed the Yorkshire Ripper, Peter

Sutcliffe, early in the investigation. The New Zealand police are keen to use a computer in big crimes such as the Wellington Trades Hall bombing or the disappearance of the Napier schoolgirl, Kirsa Jensen. At present, police have to manually cross reference information.