Developing a systematic approach to Information Sharing between Partners

In developing their policy on information sharing, partnerships should be clear about:

• Why the information exchange is necessary?

• Who they need to exchange information with?

• How much information should be exchanged to fulfil the purpose?

• The legal basis of the exchange?

• Is the exchange in the public interest and will it make a positive contribution to reducing crime and disorder in the area?

There is no right or wrong approach to this. Two or more partners may have agreed an information sharing protocol with each other, which is sufficient to fulfil their role in achieving their partnership's objectives. Whilst, this limited approach is perfectly acceptable, it is rather piecemeal. Advances in technology are providing an increasing range of opportunities for the crime and disorder practitioner, notably in the crime-mapping field, facilitating better analysis and co-ordination of interventions. Accordingly, there are positive benefits in adopting a partnership wide approach, which will:

• reduce unnecessary duplication of effort,

• promote greater compatibility/consistency in information sharing arrangements

• put an information-led approach right at the heart of the partnership

• discourage partners opting out

• take advantage of new and emerging technology

A more centralised approach to information sharing at partnership level and a clear information-sharing plan underpinning the overall crime and disorder strategy, should ensure a greater level of consistency in practise throughout the partnership. This approach also lends itself to engaging the support, encouragement and financial backing of key decision-makers.

In dealing with crime at the individual level, the partnership approach has demonstrated the benefits of involving a number of agencies with a wide range of expertise. These have been particularly effective in reducing repeat victimisation, domestic violence or the rehabilitation of offenders and prevention of youth crime. Protocols will therefore need to take account of the needs of agencies to share personal information for these purposes.

In developing effective information sharing arrangements, partnerships will need to:

• Review the Crime & Disorder Strategy and its objectives

• Examine and identify who can make a contribution to achieving the objective

• Identify what if any information would need to be exchanged in order to maximise that contribution and what effect this will have on achieving the objective

• Consult the end users and those within your organisation, who can make use of the information, for the specified objective(s).

  • What are their information requirements?

  • Do these take account of present and future information needs, utilising future technology?

  • What format should the information be in [datasets, paper]?

  • What will it be used for?

  • Is personal information necessary or would de-personalised information suffice for the purpose?

  • What other agencies could or should be able to benefit from the information?

  • Who will have access to the information?

  • How will it be stored [security]?

  • How long will it be kept for?

  • Are there any specific legal restrictions, preventing disclosure?

  • Do any other agencies hold the same information and if so, which is the most appropriate agency to provide it?

• Consult your partner(s). Are they content in principle to provide the information?

  • How accurate is their data?

  • Can the data be made accurate?

  • Has the subject of the data given consent to disclosure?

  • Is disclosure without consent permissible?

  • Is the information compatible [datasets]?

  • Do they have a fair and lawful requirement for holding it?

  • Can they meet other agencies information needs?

  • Do they require the consent of the individual before exchanging it?

  • Can they depersonalise the information if necessary?

  • Are there any risk factors associated with the use of depersonalised information, which could identify an individual?

  • What procedures they will need to see in place to facilitate the information-exchange?

  • Identify any reciprocal benefits (is your agency's work likely to lead to the identification of illegal activities which should be notified to the partner? e.g. a police investigation may reveal evidence of housing benefit fraud).

  • What are realistic time-scales for disclosing information requested? This may involve differing time-scales for different types of information, depending on the ease of retrieval.

  • Will staff need more detailed technical or other guidance in order to comply with the requirements of the protocol?

  • Is there anything the that can be put in place now to take advantage of future information requirements and advances in technology, which will assist in future analysis (e.g. crime mapping or data matching)?

  • Should the agency collect additional data specifically to fulfil its role in reducing crime? If so, is that role sustainable over a relevant period, which would enable the crime and disorder partnership to use that information?

  • Identify any special handling requirements e.g. for sharing CCTV data.

• Consider legal and other barriers which may prevent information sharing

• Identify in what format the information is held and any resource or cost implications which may be involved in exchanging data

• Examine the procedures, which will need to put in place to share information

• Be precise and take care to carry decision makers with you.

• Obtain consensus between key partners and the partnership as a whole

• Outline in the Crime & Disorder Strategy, what information sharing arrangements will be put in place, with whom and for which objective.

• Consider what will happen, when things go wrong.

• Is a media policy necessary, to protect those involved in the information sharing partnership, including data owners, data subjects, end users and the public, when dealing with the media?

• Appoint designated officers to authorise requests to other partners and approve disclosures of information requested by other agencies.

• Negotiate an information sharing protocol, with the partners.

• Ensure that all partners understand, agree and have signed the information-sharing protocol.

• Re-visit the Crime & Disorder strategy and protocol periodically to ensure that information-sharing arrangements are relevant and continue to meet the partnership's crime and disorder objectives.

• Encourage and monitor feedback.

• Seek continuous improvement in the information arrangements.

Often the same agencies are involved