The document discusses protecting victims and vulnerable people through the use of a Victim and Vulnerable Person Index system. The system identifies those at high risk of victimization by matching and coordinating data across partnership agencies. It provides knowledge required to comply with obligations to protect individuals from ill-treatment. The system also includes a support application to reduce vulnerability through safety plans and services. Practical examples describe protecting individuals' physical safety, online identity, equipment, property and money from crime through various technologies.

1. Victims & Vulnerable People
Steve Foston (North Lincolnshire
Safer Neighbourhoods) and John
Dunworth (former Head of ASB Unit,
Home Office)
1

2. Why protect Victims & Vulnerable
People?
• The European Convention on Human
Rights
– All public authorities have to comply with the
convention
• In consideration of 2 British cases the European
Court of Human Rights confirmed that the State is
obliged to „take measures to protect individuals ...
From ill-treatment and to take reasonable steps to
prevent ill-treatment of which the authorities had or
ought to have had knowledge‟
2

3. How we have built the Victim &
Vulnerable Person Index system
• The system is based on the CLG research programme
“Effective Partnership Data Management”
• Developed by Xantura Ltd and built upon their „data
fusion‟ technology – the system matches, coordinates and
builds a Victim & Vulnerable Person‟s Index from the
partnership supplied data sets using –
– Predictive modelling techniques based on customer insights
– Including vulnerable localities, risk determinants and constraints
– Maps the citizen‟s different forms of vulnerability into „domains‟
– Identifies those citizen‟s at „high risk‟ of becoming a victim.
• Provides the “ought to have” knowledge required for
compliance with the European Convention
3

4. Overcoming obstacles
• Extensive research on Data Protection issues
– Legal opinion provided by a barrister confirms
• The Crime & Disorder Act 1998 does provide the ‘gateway’ for the
exchange of personal information between partnership agencies (with some
constraints)
• The development of the Index system is a for a legitimate and lawful
purpose
– The main “issue” is the potential for conflict between implied
consent (protection from harm) and a data subject‟s explicit and
informed consent.
• Securing personal information
– Xantura have set up a private data centre that is GC accredited
(IL3 “Restricted”) and partner data transfers are undertaken
through the Public Service Network (G-App)
4

5. Supporting Vulnerable People -
practical examples
• Identifying the vulnerable
– Prevent people from falling through the 'gaps'
5

6. Supporting Vulnerable People
• “High risk” individuals are identified by the insights provided by the
Index system, the other side of the Xantura system is the
• Springvault application providing a secure support package that is
designed to reduce a citizen‟s overall level of vulnerability this
– Includes both a core personal safety plan (e.g. Fire safety checks, target
hardening, asset scanning, etc.) and individually tailored services elements.
– Is a 2 way communications portal for the electronic exchange of information
between vulnerable citizen‟s & their supporters (family, “Big Society” groups
such as Victim Support and professional partnership practitioners)
– Permits citizens and their proxies to manage their own data sharing
consents
• This is a secure „cloud‟ based application that is available over the
world wide web and, soon, will be supported by a mobile phone App
that our social enterprise partnership (Squeak) is commissioning from
Xantura.
6

7. Supporting Vulnerable People –
Additional practical examples
• Protecting their on-line identity
– Squeak is investigating the use of Smartcards to store
Citizen ID's
• Encourage digital inclusion (i.e. the vulnerable will not
have remember complicated userid/password
combinations to login)
• Chip/Pin, Biometrics, Metro style picture interface
• The Squeak smartcard will be compatible with the Local
Government Smartcitizen scheme that is in current use
by 7.5M citizens throughout the UK
– Single sign-on and access to „Clouds‟
• Use of encrypted identity “tokens” for sign-in to web/mobile apps;
much safer than „vanilla‟ userid/password accreditation, helps
protect against malware
7

8. Supporting Vulnerable People –
Additional practical examples
• Physical protection
– Electronic Incident Diaries and Alert Boxes
– Protecting their equipment
• Lojack Laptop protection software - tracking
and immobilising access to data
• Radio Tactics "Hermes/Apollo" - UK National
property register
– Protecting their money (Cyber-crime)
• Smartswipe - Credit/Debit card protection
8

9. Physical protection – Equipment &
property (Laptops)
• Laptops: Squeak is making arrangements
with Absolute Software for the supply of
their „lojack‟ product this –
– Is „Secured by Design‟ and ACPO approved
– Loads into the Laptop‟s firmware and cannot
be removed
– When stolen
• Tracks where the device is for recovery in
cooperation with the Police
• Protects privacy, disables access to files,
applications, etc. stored on the laptop
9

10. Physical protection – Equipment &
property (Other mobile devices,
property)
• Other mobile devices/property; with
Humberside Police we are implementing
Radiotactics “Hermes/Apollo” system for –
– Other mobile devices (smart phones, etc.)
– Other uniquely identifiable property (e.g.
Cameras, bikes, etc.) details can be registered
with the UK National Property Database
“Immobilise”
– When stolen
• To deter „thefts‟ property can be scanned into the
database and more easily recovered by Police – acts like
an electronic form of „Smartwater‟
10

11. North Lincolnshire
• Use the burglary predictive modeller to
Case Study being
identify „hot spots‟ to target
progressed at the
moment
We are using predictive modelling
techniques to target burglary hot
spots with crime prevention leaflets
and offer protection to the public in
these areas. The licensing of the
Lojack software can be purchased
by members of the public in these
areas, if they chose to do so, from
the Squeak web site.
Similarly, there other property
details can be added to the UK
national property database for„
Hermes/Apollo‟ scanning if stolen.
The Vigilance predictive modeller is
available for free use by Police
forces and community safety
partnerships at
https://www.vigilancemodeller.net
11

12. Protecting their money – Cyber-crime
• Its a sad fact of life that vulnerable people are increasingly
targeted both physically (through the post) and virtually via the Internet
to relieve them of their cash; thieves use „malware‟ to capture their
identity and credit/debit card details, etc.
• We have already referred to systems that can assist protect a citizen‟s
identity through the use of smartcards, tokenised single sign-on to
cloud systems, etc. and now we want to show you this „Smartswipe‟
device that can help protect people when making credit/debit card
purchases over the Internet or other applications such as on-line
banking.
• This device „insulates‟ the citizen‟s financial transaction data from being
stored on their PC . Any financial transactions made over the internet
are fully encrypted by the „Smartswipe‟ device.
• This particular device can read Smartcards as well as credit/debit cards
so it can be used as a conventional card reader (e.g. Squeak & LA
smartcards) as well as protecting a vulnerable person (or their
supporters) financial information on the world wide web
12

13. Additional Information
• Further information about the North Lincolnshire Victim and Vulnerable
Persons Index project can be found on-line at:
– http://www.saferneighbourhoods.net/files/index?folder_id=4622416
• An on-line demonstration of the main system features can be found at:
– http://www.xantura.com/presentation/
• Xantura are registering and accrediting this G-App for public service
use with the recently announced Cabinet Office Cloudstore, details can
be found at:
– http://www.govstore.net/
• Further details of our community safety partnership company can be
found at:
– http://www.esqueak.co.uk/
• Use of technology for the „Big Society‟ journey
– http://www.ukauthority.com/?tabid=64 &id=3567
13