Sunderland Council use Digital Safes to tackle crime

Jenny Robins (12 May 2008  12:37)

Source: PublicTechnology.Net

Sunderland City Council has installed Cyber-Ark's Inter-Business Vault with the help of Global Secure Systems (GSS), to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour and so improve the lives of its citizens.

Information Sharing and Assessment (ISA) is a multi-agency project that allows all the services within Sunderland; such as the blue light services, the council, drug alcohol in action teams etc., to share information and work together closely. Using the digital vault they are able to securely access information that is accurate and complete to tackle crime and incidents within the region.

For example, if a venue continuously attracts vandalism, Sunderland City Council is able to use the information provided by the other agencies to identify when these acts are occurring and explore the available facilities in the area. It can then determine whether introducing other measures will address the problem, such as installing CCTV, offering recreational opportunities or simply improving the lighting and then monitor to see if the alterations have worked.

Individuals have rights to privacy and those involved with the project recognised this and were determined to meet this obligation. Historically, the various departments shared information via email and, due to sensitivity and security concerns, any identifying details were removed prior to circulation. This was not an ideal scenario as the information being shared was therefore incomplete, so it could not be wholly relied upon, and an alternative needed to be found.

Cyber-Ark's Inter-Business Vault, which was supplied to Sunderland by resellers Global Secure Systems (GSS), is a web application that sits on a windows platform and is hosted within the council's building in a secure data room. As the file structures with Network Vault are the same as Windows it is very easy and intuitive to use and the configuration straightforward. From a management perspective, the product offers total control over who has access to certain files and can select what files each team is able to view. This provides tight controls and audit trails, especially important to the council with regards to meeting ISO standards, so it ticked all the boxes for Sunderland City Council.

One example of the project in action is the Integrated Children's System that facilitates the earlier assessment of, and intervention with, vulnerable children and their families, many of which are identified through ISA. This helps agencies provide support earlier, before cases reach a crisis point and to identify cases in which children are at risk.

Craig McNally, the Geographical Information Systems Manager at Sunderland City Council, summed it up perfectly when he said; "Fundamentally this project is about tackling crimes and incidents within our region. Having the Cyber-Ark Vault allows the partners to be able to tackle crimes effectively and pin point people who are in need of help and, or, support - basically it's pinnacle in improving our citizens lives. It is the only product that would allow us to do what we're doing and, for the price, it does more than it says on the tin."

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