'Big Brother' police keep millions of innocent people on file who dial 999 to report a crime
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 9:15 AM on 2nd January 2011
Translation by Autumnson Blog
Millions of innocent people have their details stored on police databases after reporting a crime, it emerged today.
它今天浮現，數百萬無辜者的詳細資料被存儲在警方數據庫，在他們舉報罪案後。
Forces across England and Wales have amassed data about people who dial 999 or non-emergency numbers to report their concerns or pass on information.
在整個英格蘭和威爾士的部隊已積累數據，對撥打999或非緊急電話去報告他們的關注或傳遞信息的人們。
West Midlands Police, the UK's second largest force, holds 1.1 million records of people who have reported offences over the past 12 years.
英國第二大部隊西米德蘭警察局，擁有110萬條人們的記錄，他們已在過去 12年舉報罪行。
We're watching you: CCTV cameras which critics claim are part of the creeping 'big brother' state which includes police filing the names of millions innocent people who dial 999 to report crimes or concerns
我們在看著你：批評家聲稱閉路電視相機而是令人不寒而慄的'大哥大大'狀況的一部分，其中包括警方存檔數百萬無辜者的名字，他們撥打999舉報罪案或憂慮
Others, including Lancashire, Cleveland, Avon and Somerset, Gloucestershire, West Mercia and North Wales, hold more than 150,000 each.
其它的包括蘭開夏郡、克里夫蘭、雅芳、薩默塞特、格洛斯特郡、西麥西亞和北威爾士，每隊都擁有超過150,000份。
Senior officers admitted the information could be used against people as part of any future police investigation.
高級官員承認，資料可能被用來對付人民，作為任何未來警方調查的一部分。
They insisted gathering the data was necessary to fight crime, protect the vulnerable and ensure concerns were dealt with properly.
他們堅持收集數據是有必要以打擊犯罪、保護弱勢群體和確保憂慮被恰當處理。
But critics said the vast databases were further evidence of a creeping 'Big Brother' state in which information on the innocent was held alongside criminals and suspects.
Evidence of the police databases was collected in a series of requests by the Press Association news agency under the Freedom of Information Act.
A total of 13 forces responded with details revealing how they held between 10,091 records (Lincolnshire) and 1,147,413 (West Midlands).
Those with the biggest databases were Lancashire (around 600,000), North Wales (302,754), Cleveland (172,369) and Avon and Somerset (162,968).
The majority of forces said it was not possible to collect the information because the scale of the task was too big.
Hertfordshire said it held 1.6 million records of all kinds generated since 1989 while Sussex said it held 5.6 million records gathered over seven years.
These records included details of millions of victims of crime as well as suspects and offenders.
Forces said personal information was spread across up to 22 databases and warned details of the same person could be recorded several times.
They said staff and officers were following guidance published by the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA).
In some cases, police staff not only record names, addresses and contact details, but ask about the callers' date of birth and ethnicity.
Gus Hosein, of Privacy International, said: 'There's a point where the police stop seeing members of the public as the people to be protected and rather see them all as potential criminals.
'Until now, this only happened in non-democratic states, but I fear that this line has been crossed in ours.
'This only goes to show how far the last government went in promoting this view that we are all criminals, and my understanding is that while this government has cut the NPIA, which is a first step, a culture change in the way we are governed and protected is the next one.'
Daniel Hamilton, of Big Brother Watch, said: 'For the Police to log this kind of information isn't just wrong - it's dangerous.
'The public must be confident that, when they report a crime, they do so in the comfort of anonymity and without risk of their details being stored on a central police database which can be accessed by thousands of people.
'This information must be deleted before public confidence in the police takes yet another hit.'
Ian Readhead, director of information at the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo), said forces should only record information relevant to the call.
The retired Hampshire deputy chief constable admitted an 'amicable exchange of information' could be used against callers in the future but said most people would expect police to hold on to it.
He said: 'What is important is that data is retained in applications that are clearly transparent and subject to audit and that the Information Commissioner is content with the business processes.
'We must be transparent and reassure the public that the information is not being misused. The volume of information held by the police service can be vast and one of the things we must do is ensure compliance.'
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1343404/Police-millions-innocent-people-file-dial-999-report-crime.html
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