Chief Inspector Jeremy Stone of RICS Division Information Services Wing said: "The roll out will be in two-week cycles with the first week dedicated to a parallel run where users will operate the system while continuing to run current manual procedures. During the second week, manual procedures will cease and RICS will go live. ITB and RICS Divisional staff will be on-site to assist users with technical support and advice."

But help will not stop there.

A Help Desk at RICS Division will provide guidance and deal with any problems or glitches which may arise. Enhancements to the system will continue after roll out through regular feedback between RICS users, RICS Division and ITB. Instruction on how to use the system will be provided at a RICS Training Course run by the Information Technology Training Centre; the ITTC Training Manual; a bilingual RICS On-line Help Function; a RICS Procedures Manual; HQOs, PGOs and FPM; and the CSB Bulletin.

"RICS provides the same functionality as FICS, but with minimal change to meet the more specialised needs of users in Regions and Headquarters," explained Superintendent Denys Chan who heads the RICS Division. "The system was developed in consultation with these end users by analysing their current case processing practices and examining their requirements for improvement."

Added Senior Inspector Rupert Utley of the RICS Development Team: "In addition to offering the FICS functionality of being a computerised case processing tool which allows users to store, interrogate and retrieve crime and UB reports such as charge sheets, crime messages and statistics, RICS provides the ability to prepare search warrants and ex-parte orders relating to a case. A covert enquiry function also allows authorised users to access other case data in which entry using overt methods might compromise an enquiry. This function, and all others, is subject to a behind-the-scenes audit trail which records such transactions and allows supervisory officers to perform routine checks for accountability and security purposes."

Other features which cater for the specialist nature of RICS users include: customised and additional fields which are specific to CAPO; marine location co-ordinates; details of a person's immigration and "triad" status; enhancement to property functions, including the ability to export exhibit lists into an Excel spreadsheet for additional editing and formatting; a prisoner's movement record; the generation of Regional reports; an Ad Hoc enquiry tool, "Infomaker", that can be customised to extract information and reports from the system; case transfers between formations (FICS) and Regions and Headquarters (RICS); interface with FICS, CASEMAN and other systems which will roll out in the next few months, including the Traffic Operations Management System (TOMS) and the Headquarters Information Communal System (HICS).

Senior Inspector John Yuen of the RICS Implementation Team said: "To ensure that RICS meets the highest standards and requirements, it has been put through a series of stringent tests by ten experienced police officers of the RICS Implementation Team. We also took into consideration a number of suggestions made by users who visited us while we were testing the system. Even after the roll out we will closely monitor the performance of RICS to ensure that if any bugs are found they will be sorted out as soon as possible."

Chief Inspector Jeremy Stone added: "Since RICS will interface with FICS and eventually with HICS, I believe we have taken a great step forward towards our goal of having a communications system that will allow police officers to store, interrogate and retrieve the information they require to perform their duties as expeditiously as possible. Commanders at all levels will also derive great benefit from being able to access up to date and accurate management information and, ultimately, our service to the public will be much enhanced."