Conservatives call for review of police data
The Conservatives have called for a review of police data after the information commissioner questioned whether personal information was being held for a genuine policing purpose.
Richard Thomas, who is responsible for regulating the use of personal information, has ordered four police forces delete old criminal convictions.
Mick Gorrill, assistant commissioner, said some of the information kept on the Police National Computer related to minor incidents stretching back years and he was not satisfied the information was used for policing purposes.
One conviction retained by the police was the theft of a 99 pence package of meat by a teenager in 1984.
Mr Gorrill said: “Each case relates to individuals who have been convicted or cautioned on one occasion and have not been convicted of any other offences.
“The retention of the previous conviction information is causing harm and distress to the individuals concerned.”
Enforcement notices have been issued against Humberside, Northumbria, Staffordshire and West Midlands police, all of whom have appealed to the Information Tribunal.
Shadow home secretary David Davis said the police lacked proper guidance on when and how to retain data.
Mr Davis said the police must be more proportionate when retaining information on trivial incidents, but conceded it was appropriate for police to keep data after serious crimes.
He said: “We already know thousands of innocent people currently have profiles on the national DNA database.
“The government must commit to a proper review of data retention rules and allow parliament to fully debate this issue.
“Only then will the police have the necessary clarity on what information they can retain and for how long.”
The Liberal Democrats said the commissioner’s deletion order was a common sense decision.
Home affairs spokesman Nick Clegg said the commissioner should be given more powers to combat the government’s “headlong rush towards the creation of a surveillance state.”
Mr Clegg said: “With the government rolling out the biggest databases in the world without any meaningful public debate, the information commissioner is a lone voice seeking to protect British liberties.
“That is why he should be given more powers and more resources to stop officialdom poking into every nook and cranny of our lives.”
