New head of police IT named

The Home Office has named former BT exec Chris Earnshaw as the new non-executive chairman for the Police Information Technology Organisation (PITO).

Earnshaw takes up the post with immediate effect, succeeding Sir Edmund Burton in the part-time role.

In announcing the appointment, Home Office Minister Hazel Blears said Earnshaw "will bring very substantial experience, commitment and knowledge to this key role".

In a statement, she also thanks Burton for his work during the past three years.

However, it is likely Blears will be hoping for a turnaround under the new chairman, having ordered a top-to-toe review of PITO less than two months ago.

"Under [Earnshaw's] leadership, I am confident that PITO will become even more effective in delivering to the police service high quality information and communications technology and helping bring about an electronically joined-up criminal justice system," she said in a statement.

At the time the review was announced, PITO denied it was in response to performance issues within the organisation, putting it down to routine procedure.

Earnshaw's immediate priorities will involve overseeing the roll out of biometric technologies and the implementation of a national database of violent criminals and sex offenders, two issues that were identified by PITO as its highest priorities for the next five years.

Earnshaw was with BT between 1989 and 2002. During that time, he held number of senior management and board positions, departing as group engineering director.

He was president and CEO of Concert Communications, BT's joint venture with MCI, between 1993 and 1995.