ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Police National Computer

The police national computer is like a big filing cabinet that the police use to store important information about things and people they might need to know about in the course of their work. Imagine you have a big box with lots of folders inside it. Each folder has a label on it, telling you what's inside.

The police national computer works in a similar way – it's a big computer system that stores lots of important information. Whenever the police want to add new information to it, they create a new "folder" and label it with the relevant details.

For example, the police might have a "folder" for people who have been reported missing, which would include information about what they look like, where they were last seen, and who they might be with. They might also have a "folder" for stolen cars, which would include information about the make and model of the car, its registration number, and where it was last seen.

The police can search the computer system whenever they need to find information about something or someone. They can look up a person's name to see if they have been reported as missing, or they can search for a specific car to see if it has been reported as stolen.

The police national computer is important because it helps the police to do their job better. It means they can quickly find important information when they need it, which can help them to solve crimes and keep people safe.