Canadian law enforcement to benefit from contract award for the development of a new criminal records management system

February 14, 2008

Ottawa - A contract to develop an automated criminal record management system for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Real Time Identification (RTID) Project was awarded to Fujitsu Consulting (Canada) Inc. by Public Works and Government Services Canada on January 18, 2008. Fujitsu Consulting offered the best-valued proposal based on technical and financial merit in response to a comprehensive competitive solicitation.

This contract award is a significant milestone for the RTID Project, launching the system development for the second and final phase of the initiative. The RTID Project is an RCMP Chief Information Officer Sector managed initiative designed to improve the efficiency of Canada’s national fingerprint and criminal record repository. The replacement of outdated paper processes and systems with re-engineered workflows and automation will enable responses in only hours and days instead of weeks and months.

RTID Phase 1 began in April 2004 to provide automated fingerprint verification services by RCMP Canadian Criminal Real Time Identification Services (CCRTIS). A new Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) was implemented in March 2007, immediately identifying crime scene fingerprints not possible using previous technology. CCRTIS clients submitting electronic fingerprints now receive responses within 72 hours (3 business days) for the majority of civil clearance fingerprint requests that do not link to a criminal file. The full implementation of Phase 1 later in 2008 will allow the consistent achievement of this service delivery target.

Phase 2 systems of the RTID Project will be built on the platform developed in Phase 1 to replace all remaining legacy systems and automate the criminal records management processes. The RCMP is undertaking some aspects of RTID development in support of the implementation of the new criminal records system.

“Law enforcement and civil agencies rely on the accuracy and timeliness of these systems to support the safety and security of Canadians,” said Joe Buckle, Acting Deputy Commissioner of National Police Services, and the RTID Project Sponsor. “RTID Phase 1 systems are producing results and this contract award is the next significant step in the RCMP effort to completely modernize these essential systems.”

"Fujitsu Consulting is proud to have been awarded the contract to develop the criminal records component of the RTID system for the RCMP," said David Shearer, Fujitsu Consulting Executive Vice President, "Our high quality work and customer-centric approach make Fujitsu Consulting ideally suited to the development of this technology-enabled record management process."

Fingerprints are the cornerstone for personal identification and provide invaluable information to assist in criminal investigations. Every criminal record is associated with a set of fingerprints, stored in a national repository managed by the RCMP National Police Services and accessible to Canadian law enforcement agencies. Accurate and up-to-date information is essential to the work of these agencies. Upgrading criminal records processes and modernizing the supporting technology will make a significant and positive impact on the RCMP‘s ability to support Canadian law enforcement agencies, the criminal justice system and the communities they serve.

Work on the new criminal records system is expected to begin in February 2008 on target for a 2009 implementation date.

For more information, contact:
RCMP Media Relations: (613) 993-2999