Police finally launch centralized crime database

A National Centre of Criminal Information (KCIK), was launched on Sunday and contains the records of 6.6 million criminal and financial offenses and over 250,000 criminals. The system should help law enforcement agencies to fight crime faster and more efficiently, as it gives access to detailed data on investigations and those involved. KCIK will maintain a record of all relevant information on a crime, its type, material used during the offense and the legal outcome. Moreover, the data will be kept in the system for 15 years and will also collect information on foreigners suspected of breaching the law in Poland. "The system took three months to be create and cost zl. 36 million," said police deputy chief officer Zbigniew Chwalinski. The system is owned and managed by the police, but other state bodies will be allowed to use it as well. (Rzeczpospolita, pp. A1, A4) M.M.