PLX system introduction
Bichard Inquiry · The Bichard Inquiry Report · Issued 22 June 2004 · Addressed to: Home Office
Source — verbatim from the inquiry
●Inquiry recommendation
The PLX system, which flags that intelligence is held about someone by particular police forces, should be introduced in England and Wales by 2005.
Bichard Inquiry, The Bichard Inquiry Report · 22 Jun 2004 Source PDF →
Response — verbatim from government
●Home Office
The Home Secretary made a statement to Parliament on 22 June 2004, the day the Bichard Inquiry Report was published, accepting all 31 recommendations in full. The government stated it was "in principle, accepting Sir Michael's main recommendations and will act on them immediately." Implementation led to the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 and the creation of the Independent Safeguarding Authority (now the Disclosure and Barring Service). By February 2007, 21 of the 31 recommendations had been fully or substantially completed. See Hansard, 22 June 2004.
Home Office · 22 Jun 2004 Written response →
Evidence trail — what's actually happened since
- 1 Jun 2011 · Home Office Police National Database (PND) launched. Full cross-force intelligence sharing finally achieved, replacing the limited IMPACT Nominal Index that had been deployed only to child abuse investigation units since December 2005. Source →
- 7 Feb 2007 · Home Office Parliamentary debate confirmed INI had processed over 106,000 enquiries (approx. 80% relating to child protection). Full cross-force intelligence sharing not yet achieved. IMPACT programme costs had risen significantly. Source →
- 1 Dec 2005 · Home Office PLX cross-referencing system implemented as the IMPACT Nominal Index (INI), deployed to child abuse investigation units. Over 106,000 enquiries by early 2007 (approximately 80% relating to child protection). Not available for all police work by the 2005 target date. Source →
Each entry above links to a primary source — gov.uk written statement, consultation response document, or inspection report. The Index does not characterise government intent; it tracks what has been published.
How this page is built
Source and Response are verbatim from primary documents. The Evidence trail records published activity since — written statements, consultation outcomes, inspection findings, parliamentary references. The Index does not paraphrase or characterise intent; it tracks what has been published. Where the evidence is the absence of action (a missed deadline, a slipped timetable), that absence is documented from primary sources rather than inferred.
This recommendation's data is verified periodically against primary sources. The Index is monitored for staleness weekly.