NPIA renegotiates £1m PNN3 contract saving

The National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) has renegotiated a 1 million saving in the contract for accessing the current Police National Network, PNN3.

UK police forces have accessed this secure network as its common and secure communications platform to use services like the Police National Computer (PNC), National DNA Database (NDNAD) and mobile interfaces to local systems and data.

The NPIA announced it had made the 1 million savings by negotiating a reduced cost for the renewal of the agency's communications framework with Cable&Wireless. It also said there was scope for further "significant savings" to be made.

Sue Moffatt, NPIA head of commercial and procurement, stated: "Communication is the lifeblood of the police service. It is essential that the police service can communicate seamlessly and consistently across the criminal justice system.

"This agreement is also another good example of how the NPIA continues to provide more for less to the police service to help ensure frontline officers are supported."

The agency pledged last year to save the police service 200 million by 2015 through more efficient use of technology and procurement.

The five-year PNN3 contract with Cable&Wireless was signed in 2006 and came under the remit of the NPIA when it was created in 2007 to centralise the procurement and management of police information and communications technology.

The original PNN3 contract included an option to go to a full term of seven years, which the NPIA has taken up and it said would take effect this month.

All UK police forces can use the PNN3, plus over 100 other criminal justice organisations. Other services it provides include the Police National Database (PND), which launched earlier this year, and the National Fingerprint Database, IDENT1.