As part of the National Ballistics Intelligence Service (NABIS) a state of the art IT system has been designed to specifically support the operation of the Service by managing a diverse range of activities. This includes the recovery and examination of ballistic items, such as bullets, cartridge cases and physical firearms. The information regarding these items is then linked to tactical intelligence relating to people, objects, locations and events that exist throughout the country.

The NABIS Database is able to track a ballistic item from the moment it is recovered to the moment it is eventually destroyed after any relevant investigations and/or proceedings have been completed. This includes the progress of examination and testing that takes place by commercial forensic providers. Consequently Senior Investigating Officers (SIOs) are be able to see at the touch of a button what information or intelligence is available relating to any ballistic items recovered as a part of their investigation. This information facilitates the fast time understanding of the intelligence to be gained in relation to any investigation and thus improve the investigative process.

The NABIS database is a truly national system sited alongside other national information assets such as the Police National Computer (PNC), Violence and Sex Offender Register (ViSOR) and National Firearms Licensing Management System (NFLMS). The database is based on the tried and tested design of ViSOR and uses the same infrastructure mechanisms for delivering confidential information into forces.

Access to the database will be tightly controlled with users having access only to areas of information that are relevant to their role. However NABIS Database significantly improves the ability of the police service to extract intelligence relating to the criminal use of firearms in a way that effectively informs the strategic planning processes as defined by the National Intelligence Model.