PULSE (Police Using Leading Systems Effectively) is a computer system used by the

Garda Síochána (; meaning "the Guardian(s) of the Peace"), more commonly referred to as the Gardaí (; "Guardians") or "the Guards", is the national police service of Ireland. The service is headed by the Garda Commissioner who is appointed by the Irish Gover ...

, the police force of the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...

. The system was introduced in November 1999.Call for probe into garda record system
, Cormac O'Keefe,

Irish Examiner The ''Irish Examiner'', formerly ''The Cork Examiner'' and then ''The Examiner'', is an Irish national daily newspaper which primarily circulates in the Munster region surrounding its base in Cork, though it is available throughout the country. ...

, 21 March 2005, retrieved 20 March 2009 The contract for the system was awarded to

Andersen Consulting Accenture plc is an Irish-American professional services company based in Dublin, specializing in information technology (IT) services and consulting. A ''Fortune'' Global 500 company, it reported revenues of $61.6 billion in 2022. Accentur ...

(now

Accenture Accenture plc is an Irish-American professional services company based in Dublin, specializing in information technology (IT) services and consulting. A ''Fortune'' Global 500 company, it reported revenues of $61.6 billion in 2022. Accentur ...

) and is managed by a directorate of three senior Gardaí and an Accenture consultant.An Garda Síochána Annual Report 1999
retrieved 20 March 1999 The system is run by the PULSE Project teams of the IT section of the Garda Síochána. The system cost €61.3 million originally and between 2001 and 2006 €12.88 million was spent on updating and maintaining it. The system is available in 519 of 565 Garda stations.Written Questions, Garda Information and Communications Technology, Dáil Éireann
, 5 November 2019 Under

data protection Information privacy is the relationship between the collection and dissemination of data, technology, the public expectation of privacy, contextual information norms, and the legal and political issues surrounding them. It is also known as data pr ...

legislation, it is possible to request personal data held on the system, unless that information would identify someone else or if disclosing the personal data is being held in order to prevent, investigate or detect crime or is being used for prosecuting or arresting offenders.Access to Garda records
, citizensinformation.ie, retrieved 20 March 2009

Insurance investigation

In 2007 between 40 and 50 Gardaí were questioned as part of an internal inquiry into allegations that Gardaí had supplied confidential information to insurance companies in order to settle road traffic claims.Garda inquiry questions nearly 50 officers over claims of insurance company collusion
, Mick McCaffrey,

Sunday Tribune The ''Sunday Tribune'' was an Irish Sunday broadsheet newspaper published by Tribune Newspapers plc. It was edited in its final years by Nóirín Hegarty, who changed both the tone and the physical format of the newspaper from broadsheet to tab ...

, 24 June 2007, retrieved 20 March 2009Gardai probe insurance "rms' misuse of records
Mick McCaffrey,

, 3 June 2007, retrieved 20 March 2009 The PULSE system was included in the investigation.

Reliability

PULSE has been the subject of complaints by the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors and the

Garda Representative Association Garda may refer to: * Police, known as Garda in Hiberno-English * Garda (security company), a security and protection company headquartered in Montreal, Canada * Garda Síochána, the national police of the Republic of Ireland * Garda National Sur ...

on grounds that it is unreliable and has caused backlogs in bringing cases to court.

Kathleen O'Toole Kathleen M. O'Toole ( Horton; born May 9, 1954) is an American law enforcement officer who served as Chief of the Seattle Police Department (SPD) from June 23, 2014 to January 4, 2018. She was previously the first female commissioner of the Bost ...

criticised the system for being difficult to use and not being user-friendly.Gardaí need better technology - O'Toole
, Conor Lally,

The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...

, 15 January 2009, retrieved 20 March 2009

References

{{Garda Síochána Garda Síochána

Insurance investigation

Reliability

See also

References