§ Mr. Cohenasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis as to the procedures which operate in respect of inquiries to the police national computer to ensure that information is divulged only to those entitled to it; that the reasons for inquiries are subject to check to ensure that they are justified; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Douglas HoggI am informed by the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that the procedure for ensuring that information from the police national computer is divulged only to those entitled to it, is as described in my reply to the hon. Member of 18 November 1986, at column 89.
A sample of the requests for information from the police national computer is checked each day to ensure that these related to a bona fide police purpose and that the appropriate records were correctly completed.
§ Mr. Cohenasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department which police authorities have not fully implemented the guidelines proposed in paragraph 38 of the report by the Police Complaints Authority on the police national computer; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. HurdThe attention of all chief officers has been drawn to the guidelines proposed in paragraph 38 of the Police Complaints Authority report on the police national computer. Records are not held centrally on the way in which each chief officer acted on these guildelines.
In addition, the Association of Chief Police Officers is preparing a code of practice for police computer systems, including the police national computer, as encouraged under section 36(4) of the Data Protection Act, 1984. This will take full account of the recommendations of the Police Complaints Authority. The intention is to make this available to the public and a copy will be placed in the Library.