Cable & Wireless Extends Network Security Contract for UK Police Forces


Two year Framework Arrangement connects 250,000 users across all 52 UK police forces

-/8 Nov, 2004 - Wi-Fi Technology News/- Cable & Wireless announced that it has signed a two-year extension to the Police National Network Framework Arrangement with the Police Information Technology Organisation (PITO) to connect 250,000 users across all 52 UK police forces.

Cable & Wireless, the leader in communications and IT infrastructure solutions for business, already provides data communication and telephony services for UK police forces and other criminal justice organisations under the original deal signed in 1999.

Effective from 1 October 2004, the new agreement extends the Police National Network (PNN2) Framework Arrangement to cover the provision of more advanced services, as well as the continued management and development of the core Criminal Justice Extranet network over which these services will run.

The Cable & Wireless-hosted Criminal Justice Extranet (CJX) network was first launched in 1999 as a successor to the legacy X25-based network. It now links more than a quarter of a million users across all 52 police forces and the wider criminal justice community.

Connection to the CJX provides criminal justice organisations with facilities such as email, information sharing, document exchange, centralised user directories and secure access to the internet. In addition, the network provides secure connections to centralised databases, such as the Police National Computer. Since its introduction the CJX has helped to accelerate integration between the various branches of the criminal justice community, helping to foster better communications and information sharing.

PITO's CJX Liaison Officer Mick Humphrey said: "The greatest challenge the criminal justice sector faces today is its scale. The CJX network encourages collaboration across departments, providing a vital tool for the secure exchange of information to help in the fight against crime.

"The more we use the CJX, the more we get out of it, and the more potential we can see. The extension of the Framework Arrangement lays the groundwork for ensuring this progress continues into the future and that the benefits are extended to other organisations."

As a consequence of the extension, Cable & Wireless plans a million pound investment to refresh and upgrade the existing services, including a ten-fold increase in core bandwidth capacity and connectivity via an advanced MPLS network delivering IP-VPN QoS (Internet Protocol-Virtual Private Network Quality of Service) capability. These enhancements will allow the infrastructure to support innovative new functionality such as secure video conferencing, IP telephony and high-definition digital imaging.

Cable & Wireless, under PNN2, already delivers national network services to support video and image applications, such as VIPER, a system that creates ?virtual' identity parades using a national database of images. New services also include the Secure Community Network that will extend the benefits of CJX to the wider criminal justice community, local authorities, social services, suppliers of criminal justice services and criminal justice practitioners.

The Framework Arrangement now includes the development of an accredited secure remote access to the CJX, based upon secure IP-VPN links over standard dial-up, broadband, GPRS and 3G connections. The service will enable remote users, or remote sites, to access their home network, and applications over the Internet via the CJX connections. The network also includes advanced intrusion detection systems and antivirus scanning.

Gareth James, managing director, UK corporate markets at Cable & Wireless commented: "This is just the latest step for the police service on the journey toward joined up policing. Greater collaboration need not mean a loss of security. PITO's early implementation of an effective communications structure has helped unify services across all aspects of criminal justice, eliminating complexity and delivering security through simplicity and transparency. The ultimate dividend from this innovation should be faster justice for all."

The CJX is designed and managed by Cable & Wireless on behalf of PITO. Cable & Wireless provides a 24-hour single point of contract through its customised management centre, and full management and maintenance of the routing equipment and links between sites to ensure network availability.

For more information about Cable & Wireless, go to http://www.cw.com