§ 34. Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in the light of the criticism of the police computer recording system as made by Judge Owen Stable QC at the Wood Green Crown court on Thursday 19 March, what action has been taken or is to be taken by the Metropolitan Police to rectify the complaints made.
§ Mr. MayhewThe records of the central criminal record office, from which the information was drawn in this case, are not kept on a computer. I understand that, in the case, the conviction records held in that office were accurate. The Commissioner tells me that inquiries are being made to establish the circumstances in which the information available to the court was not up-to-date. He also assures me that the procedures for handling criminal records in the Metropolitan Police are kept under close review.