Digital Government Case Studies: NZ Police Integrated Crime Information System (INCIS)

New Zealand Police worked on developing a new crime analysis system from the early 1990s. From this activity, the concept of National Crime Information System (NCIS) to deal with a range of policing needs took shape.

Essentially Police wanted to replace their reliance on an old mainframe, national database (the Wanganui computer), with one that put the electronic information about crimes and convictions in the hands of frontline Police by using the power of emerging new hardware and software such as personal computers in police stations. The INCIS concept and vision was consistent and integrated with the Police Five-year Strategic Plan published in 1993, developed around Community Oriented Policing (COP).