Government considering online crime reports

The Home Office is examining the possibility of letting members of the public report crimes over the Internet.

Speaking to the House of Commons this week, Home Office minister Charles Clarke said he had commissioned research into the idea of creating a Web portal where citizens could report minor crimes.

Clarke explained: "While many [police] forces are already introducing services via their own Web sites, I believe that the public should be able to interact with their local force through a standard interface providing a wide range of services."

The NHS kickstarted the trend of putting public services online by installing Internet kiosks around the UK last October. The kiosks give people direct access to health information via the NHS Direct Web site.

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