In the United Kingdom, HOLMES 2, the successor to HOLMES (Home Office Large Major Enquiry System), is an IT system used by the police to assist with the investigation of serious crimes including murder and fraud.

It is also used to manage casualty and missing person data during disasters. All the police forces of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have taken the system. The first forces had the system in early 2000 and the last of became operational during early 2004.

HOLMES 2 was developed by Unisys for the Police Information Technology Organisation under the Private Finance Initiative. It uses a client-server architecture and a mixture of free text and relational databases. It can also operate on a stand-alone "luggable" computer.

The name is a bacronym for the fictional private investigator, Sherlock Holmes.

See also

• The British Government Home Office
• British Military Intelligence Systems in Northern Ireland

External links

• PITO HOLMES 2 info
• Unisys HOLMES 2 web site

Databases in the United Kingdom | Law enforcement in the United Kingdom