§ Mr. SedgemoreTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his Department has issued any guidance or instruction to police forces on the length of time for which internal written or computer records should be preserved; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Peter LloydThe Department has in the past asked forces to keep various records for a variety of reasons but details are not available and a comprehensive record could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The weeding of police records, where there is not a statutory requirement to keep them for a specified period, is a matter for chief officers. The code of practice for police computer systems issued by the Association of Chief Police Officers contains guidelines for the review and removal of personal data. A copy of the code of practice is in the Library. The guidelines are currently under review.
§ Mr. SedgemoreTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will seek a report from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis listing and describing all the notebooks and other written records that are required by standing orders, instructions or guidance to be personally kept or compiled by individual Metropolitan police officers for operational purposes(a) in the uniformed branch, and (b) in the CID;
(2) if he will seek a report from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis listing and describing all the written records that are required by standing orders, instructions or guidance to be kept for operational purposes at Metropolitan police stations.
§ Mr. Peter LloydThe Metropolitan police require police officers to compile many different kinds of written records and it is not possible to list them all except at a disproportionate cost.
§ Mr. SedgemoreTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list those police forces in England and Wales which do not have central command and control computers.
§ Mr. Peter LloydNearly all forces make some use of computers in the handling of incidents and the deployment of resources. I understand, however, that the following forces do not have an integrated centralised command and control computer system which provides both these facilities:
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- Cumbria Constabulary
- Durham Constabulary
- Dyfed Powys Police
- Gloucester Constabulary
- Greater Manchester Police
- Gwent Constabulary
- Humberside Police
- Lancashire Constabulary
- Leicestershire Constabulary
- Norfolk Constabulary
- Northamptonshire Police
- North Yorkshire Police
- Nottinghamshire Constabulary
- Thames Valley Police
The following four forces have decentralised computer systems which provide both command and control:
- Avon and Somerset Constabulary
- Devon and Cornwall Constabulary
- Dorset Police
- Surrey Constabulary
§ Mr. SedgemoreTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Police National Computer contains a particular code for recording or indicating that an individual has made a false complaint or false complaints against the police.
§ Mr. Peter LloydI refer the hon. Member to the reply given to a question from the hon. Member for Denton and Reddish (Mr. Bennett) on 15 October at column725.