UK policing watchdog finds National Crime Agency heavily reliant on weak
legacy systems

Date:
Tue, 09 Sep 2025 12:00:00 +0000

Description:
An independent audit reveals unfit for purpose tech in the NCA.

FULL STORY

An independent audit by police watchdog, HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS), has published a worrying report on the IT systems of the UKs National Crime Agency (NCA).

The report outlines that many of the IT systems it relies on are outdated and unfit for purpose, stating that the NCA is burdened with technical debt
thanks to a continued prioritisation of quick fix repairs over more comprehensive long-term solutions.

Thats not all, as the report also recommends the NCA improves its management
of bulk datasets - as currently there are no datasets from any regional organised crime units, and no plans to allow the NCA to carry out bulk
analysis of data from the Law Enforcement Data Service - despite plans for
the service to replace the Police National Computer in 2026.

A ten year strategy

A significant limitation the NCA faces, especially given the sensitive nature of much of the organisation's data, is the lack of cloud adoption;

The NCA has also been slow to fully embrace the benefits of cloud-based technology, which has adverse practical consequences. For example, personnel cant automatically transfer data between computer systems operating on each
of the three security tiers of the Government Security Classifications
Policy.

The legacy systems that are still operated by the NCA mean higher maintenance costs, limited functionality and compatibility with other internal systems, increased training needed for new personnel, and an inability to fully
exploit datasets from other outdated systems.

There were 260 legacy systems identified, which have led to an astonishing
80% of the organizations IT budget spent on servicing these outdated systems.

The report concludes with nine overall recommendations, including a ten year development strategy for replacing legacy IT systems, developing a plan to carry out bulk data analysis of the Law Enforcement Data Service dataset, as well as adopting the governments Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework.

The NCA's DG Graeme Biggar confirmed to TechRadar Pro ;

"We are taking extensive action on areas identified in the reports recommendations, much of which was well underway at the time of the
inspection. This includes an agency-wide technology modernisation programme."

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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/pro/security/uk-policing-watchdog-finds-national-cri me-agency-heavily-reliant-on-weak-legacy-systems

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