NEC Corporation has announced that Northgate Public Services (NPS), a wholly owned subsidiary of NEC, has entered into an agreement to acquire Charter Systems Ltd, a leading supplier of Covert Operations software to police services in the UK and Canada.
NPS is the market leader for policing IT solutions in the UK with more than 50% of police forces currently using NPS’ CONNECT crime, custody and intelligence management system to manage information on victims and crimes.
Charter Systems is part of Equinity Group plc’s Digital division and provides mission critical software to manage Covert Operations which is used by more than 60% of UK police forces as well as major customers in Canada. The potential for these two sets of technologies to be brought together could bring substantial benefits to the police service.
Ian Blackhurst, executive director of Public Safety, Northgate Public Services said: “It’s essential for undercover officers to have access to the most up to date and accurate information to be able to predict and prevent crime. Putting reliable intelligence into the hands of police forces means they are in a good position to be able to assess risk to their officers, the public and the police operation.”
He continues: “This acquisition is a great opportunity for us to expand our offer and will bring substantial value to customers of both Charter and NPS. Our working practices are already very similar so we will be able to start adding value to our solutions straight away.”
NPS sees Charter Systems’ solutions as a highly complementary and natural addition to its existing public safety portfolio and customer base. Strategically, the acquisition of Charter is consistent with increasing the NPS footprint in the UK and internationally with a focus on policing operations.
Aaron Hughes, CEO of the digital division of Equiniti, previous owners of Charter Systems, said: “We are pleased to sell Charter Systems, a market leading software business in its field, to a complementary acquirer, and wish our colleagues and former clients well for the future. This disposal allows Equinity to continue to focus on its core businesses.”
