Britain's Home Secretary today criticised the way the police update records on arrests and convictions after it emerged child-killer Ian Huntley had been the subject of rape and underage sex investigations.
When Huntley applied to be caretaker at Soham Village College in Cambridgeshire, a police check revealed no trace of the times he had come to the notice of police in nearby Humberside. He went on to murder Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman.
Home Office Minister Ms Hazel Blears told Parliament that both Mr David Blunkett and Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) were "clear" that "many police forces must do better" in inputting information into the National Police Computer.
Yesterday, Mr Blunkett began an inquiry to investigate why the police checks failed to reveal Huntley's past.
As Huntley began two life sentences for the murders, the HMIC report showed that many police forces were failing to input details of convictions and arrests within the required time.
The report, obtained by the BBC early today, said there was potential for "known offenders or those suspected of serious offending to be overlooked" during criminal checks.
It added that, on average, it was taking forces 50 days to input details of a conviction rather than the set seven days, raising concerns that someone with Huntley's background could still be recruited by an education authority.
Ms Blears said the HMIC review showed the performance of many of Britain's police forces in this area was not "encouraging".