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   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   The report outlines that many of the IT systems it relies on are outdated and   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   exploit datasets from other outdated systems.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   80% of the organizations IT budget spent on servicing these outdated systems.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."   
      
   ======================================================================   
   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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