HC Deb 18 May 1984 vol 60 c273W
Mr. Tony Lloyd

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will describe the weeding criteria used by the national identification bureau for the names indexes of the police national computer.

Mr. Hurd

The national identification bureau is responsible for weeding one of the names indexes of the police national computer only; viz, the criminal names index. The criteria are as follows:

  1. A Data subjects over 70 years of age: records are weeded if the following conditions are met:
    1. (i) the subject has not been heard of in the last 10 years (i.e. no new information has been added to the microfiche record in that period);
    2. (ii) the subject was neither convicted of murder nor was a murder victim; and
    3. (iii) the record is not of special interest.
  2. B Data subjects between 40 and 70 years of age: records are weeded if the following conditions are met:
    1. (i) the subject has not been heard of in the last 20 years;
    2. (ii) there is only one conviction on the NIB record (minor offences are disregarded), no subsequent breach of probation and no outstanding proceedings;
    3. (iii) the aggregate sentence for the conviction did not exceed 6 months' imprisonment (including suspended sentences);
    4. (iv) there is no record of any mental illness;
    5. (v) there is no record of any sexual offence or indecency;
    6. (vi) the subject was neither convicted of murder nor was a murder victim; and
    7. (vii) the record is not of special interest.
  3. C Data subjects under 40 years of age: records are weeded if all the conditions at B are met and the data subject was under the age of 14 at the time of conviction.

Notes:

  1. (1) "Special interest" refers to notable criminals or to crimes which the police consider to be of special significance or of national historical interest. Such records and all those involving murder are retained indefinitely.
  2. (2) Records are weeded 18 months after a police force has reported the subject as having died, unless they are of special interest or involve murder.

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