Memex's pioneering police information system poised for UK roll-out

Published on Saturday 8 August 2009 14:09

SCOTTISH security and intelligence software firm, Memex, has signed a deal with Surrey Police to implement a pioneering information management system that could be rolled out across the UK.

The firm, which counts police forces in Los Angeles and Iraq as clients, has described the multi-million pound deal as "transformational". It says the technology is the first of its kind and is being implemented by clients around the world.

Memex's technology is based on a search engine that draws information from a wide range of sources and points investigators to likely conclusions.

David Carrick said the deal pulled all Surrey's key police business functions, systems and sources under one platform for the first time.

"It is transformational because police do not want to have ten or 12 disparate systems," he said. "They want to have one system that would have everything and that is what we have done for Surrey.

"A lot of the systems the English police are using at the moment have been around for a while and there is a mood for change. There are 43 police forces in England and Wales and we hope most of them will adopt this platform. We are in active discussions with a number of other forces."

The firm, which last year turned over around 7 million, expects to maintain its pre-tax profit at about 1m this year. It also provides technology for the American Motion Picture Association.

Carrick added: "The association uses Memex technology to collect all the investigative material from illegal downloads and piracy. A lot of the money raised by piracy leaves the country and is used to fund organised crime."

The company's technology is also used by the Iraqi government to help track terror suspects and by Poland's police and border officials for their national intelligence systems.

The government of Trinidad and Tobago, the counter terrorism office of New Jersey, as well as the Food Standards Agency, British Horseracing Association, South Africa Insurance Crime Bureau and the Albanian National Police are also among Memex's client base.

Carrick bought Memex from MR Data for just under 1m in 2001. Memex has grown from 25 to 80 employees, with offices in East Kilbride and the US.