Police Forces in the UK will soon be using a new integrated public protection system, which will help them manage cases involving vulnerable people more efficiently.

The Case Administration and Tracking System (CATS) - which was originally developed for Nottinghamshire Police as a Child Protection application– now enables forces to manage child protection, domestic abuse and vulnerable adult cases within a single database.

The CATS system - which is being maintained and enhanced by WPC Software - gives officers a much clearer picture of people at risk and helps police public protection units manage and track the progress of case files.

The data collected can be used to piece together vital information about a particular child’s family background, helping officers make more informed decisions about their welfare. CATS also has the potential to become an information-sharing tool between all agencies involved in protecting vulnerable people.

The CATS system was developed in the absence of a national database for child protection, and in light of the recommendation in Lord Laming's Report into the death of Victoria Climbie that police forces should have an effective child protection database and IT management system.

CATS has now been implemented successfully in the child abuse investigations units of 14 police forces, and the domestic abuse units of six forces. All these police forces will now have access to the new integrated system.

WPC was awarded a three-year contract to support of the system by Nottinghamshire Police on behalf of the national CATS Strategy and User Groups.