data protection and the police

data protection and the police

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simon1987

Original Poster:

401 posts

134 months

Friday 15th May 2015
quotequote all
hi

does anyone have a template letter i can fire off to local constabulary asking for all information and intelligence they have one me and how long does it take for them to comply?

photosnob

1,339 posts

117 months

Friday 15th May 2015
quotequote all
simon1987 said:
hi

does anyone have a template letter i can fire off to local constabulary asking for all information and intelligence they have one me and how long does it take for them to comply?
You can do a subject access request... But they won't let you know anything they don't want you too. If they don't want you to know thy will say it's exempt from the data protection act (insert your own reasons). For most people you will get everything though.

Eclassy

1,201 posts

121 months

Friday 15th May 2015
quotequote all
simon1987 said:
hi

does anyone have a template letter i can fire off to local constabulary asking for all information and intelligence they have one me and how long does it take for them to comply?
Sadly, The police dont have to obey data laws and the ICO is powerless to do anything. We are still awaiting data from a SAR made almost 15 months ago. By law, It should take no more than 40 days.

Like the other poster said, make a subject access request but as they are a law unto themselves dont expect to be sent anything they dont want you to see or anything at all.

A court is the last resort. They tend to sit up once they are served with the papers.

TurricanII

1,516 posts

197 months

Friday 15th May 2015
quotequote all
I've no idea if it has been done before but if you have trouble getting a reply then I would use the FOI act to ask a number of carefully worded questions of an appropriate official:

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/list/successful

Lots of questions in there and it seems like a lot of effort put into most answers.

I'd be asking if the police ARE in breach of XYZ, what the average response times are for SAR's and for an explanation why your has been delayed.

Jasandjules

69,825 posts

228 months

Saturday 16th May 2015
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Police have an exemption to the DPA.

killsta

1,722 posts

227 months

Saturday 16th May 2015
quotequote all
Eclassy said:
Like the other poster said, make a subject access request but as they are a law unto themselves dont expect to be sent anything they dont want you to see or anything at all.
Ever thought that there may be some common sense reasons why they can't/won't/shouldn't provide you with every piece of information they hold on you?


Tribal Chestnut

2,996 posts

181 months

Saturday 16th May 2015
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A friend of mine is currently doing something similar with the Met, costing him £10 for the privilege.

simon1987

Original Poster:

401 posts

134 months

Saturday 16th May 2015
quotequote all
would this furnish me with intelligence held on vehicles i use to own

Eclassy

1,201 posts

121 months

Saturday 16th May 2015
quotequote all
killsta said:
Ever thought that there may be some common sense reasons why they can't/won't/shouldn't provide you with every piece of information they hold on you?
Of course there will be valid reasons for not divulging sensitive information.

Can you think of one common sense reason why the police will not provide CCTV footage of a subject who attended a police station for an interview but was arrested for requesting for a solicitor to be present?

Defcon5

6,159 posts

190 months

Saturday 16th May 2015
quotequote all
simon1987 said:
would this furnish me with intelligence held on vehicles i use to own
Why do you want to know?

Baryonyx

17,990 posts

158 months

Saturday 16th May 2015
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Why would the police know anything about you?

tapereel

1,860 posts

115 months

Saturday 16th May 2015
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simon1987 said:
would this furnish me with intelligence held on vehicles i use to own
no

anonymous-user

53 months

Sunday 17th May 2015
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Eclassy said:
Can you think of one common sense reason why the police will not provide CCTV footage
Because it shows where (some / multiple) police CCTV cameras cover in the police station, and the current threat level is raised for the police.

How did the wider complaint about the matter go? No doubt the force's PSD were 'in on it' and so were the IPCC...

ED209

5,740 posts

243 months

Sunday 17th May 2015
quotequote all
Eclassy said:
killsta said:
Ever thought that there may be some common sense reasons why they can't/won't/shouldn't provide you with every piece of information they hold on you?
Of course there will be valid reasons for not divulging sensitive information.

Can you think of one common sense reason why the police will not provide CCTV footage of a subject who attended a police station for an interview but was arrested for requesting for a solicitor to be present?
Theres approximately 50 cameras in the custody suite I work in. If every person who was arrested chucked a spurious complaint in and asked for the cctv of their detention to be provided it would take several full time staff all their time to provide the relevant cctv.

Please be assured though theres no chance of anyone doing anything naughty to a prisoner without it being filmed.

killsta

1,722 posts

227 months

Sunday 17th May 2015
quotequote all
Eclassy said:
Of course there will be valid reasons for not divulging sensitive information.

Can you think of one common sense reason why the police will not provide CCTV footage of a subject who attended a police station for an interview but was arrested for requesting for a solicitor to be present?
The same footage could contain sensitive information nothing to do with said arrest, such as positions of cameras, doors, staff, other members of the public in the station, etc, etc.

You're insinuating some foul play. PSD/IPCC can view this footage if any complaints get that far, so I fail to see any reason why this footage should be released to members of the public upon request.

photosnob

1,339 posts

117 months

Sunday 17th May 2015
quotequote all
killsta said:
The same footage could contain sensitive information nothing to do with said arrest, such as positions of cameras, doors, staff, other members of the public in the station, etc, etc.

You're insinuating some foul play. PSD/IPCC can view this footage if any complaints get that far, so I fail to see any reason why this footage should be released to members of the public upon request.
I'm not standing up for Eclassy - as he seems to have a thing about the police (although I think he was treated badly at some point, but it's not my fight)...

But have you heard how daft you sound.

Position of cameras??? You mean the things we can see above us which you can see in a custody suite?

Doors - again you can see them with your eyes. Hey if you google it there are pictures of the inside of the big custody suites on the internet. I dare say you could get a copy of the plans if you really wanted...

Staff... Your talking about the people who wear uniforms to be noticed, or CID who will show you an ID when they talk to you... Custody suites will show custody sergeants and police officers booking people in and interviewing them. Undercover police do not loiter in them... For quite obvious reasons. Not least because they are full of people who have been arrested who would/could notice them.

Members of the public... We all get filmed thousands of times a day. And no one cares. Admittedly I wouldn't want my mug on youtube if I was arrested. But the police do that with roadwars and other shows anyway... It would be unheard off in my limited experience that victims of crime gave statements inside the custody suite. Other parts of the station yes - but in private rooms, not in the middle of hallways.

So what else is in the etc etc...

I can't think of a decent reason to refuse to show CCTV to someone - in fact I've been offered to see it before. I never bothered but it's shown in court all the time... You will even see it on the TV when they show them booking someone in... They had a whole TV show about it on channel 4!

I'm fully prepared to accept the police don't give the tapes out because they havn't got the time or the inclination. But my God - let's not delude ourselves into thinking that custody suites are some top secret highly sensitive places!

killsta

1,722 posts

227 months

Sunday 17th May 2015
quotequote all
photosnob said:
I'm not standing up for Eclassy - as he seems to have a thing about the police (although I think he was treated badly at some point, but it's not my fight)...

But have you heard how daft you sound.

Position of cameras??? You mean the things we can see above us which you can see in a custody suite?

Doors - again you can see them with your eyes. Hey if you google it there are pictures of the inside of the big custody suites on the internet. I dare say you could get a copy of the plans if you really wanted...

Staff... Your talking about the people who wear uniforms to be noticed, or CID who will show you an ID when they talk to you... Custody suites will show custody sergeants and police officers booking people in and interviewing them. Undercover police do not loiter in them... For quite obvious reasons. Not least because they are full of people who have been arrested who would/could notice them.

Members of the public... We all get filmed thousands of times a day. And no one cares. Admittedly I wouldn't want my mug on youtube if I was arrested. But the police do that with roadwars and other shows anyway... It would be unheard off in my limited experience that victims of crime gave statements inside the custody suite. Other parts of the station yes - but in private rooms, not in the middle of hallways.

So what else is in the etc etc...

I can't think of a decent reason to refuse to show CCTV to someone - in fact I've been offered to see it before. I never bothered but it's shown in court all the time... You will even see it on the TV when they show them booking someone in... They had a whole TV show about it on channel 4!

I'm fully prepared to accept the police don't give the tapes out because they havn't got the time or the inclination. But my God - let's not delude ourselves into thinking that custody suites are some top secret highly sensitive places!
Not quite as daft as you for implying I meant you couldn't see where the cameras, doors and staff are physically located.

As La Liga alluded to, have a think about how terrorists do their research.


Edited by killsta on Sunday 17th May 18:27

photosnob

1,339 posts

117 months

Sunday 17th May 2015
quotequote all
killsta said:
Not quite as daft as you for implying I meant you couldn't see where the cameras, doors and staff are physically located.

As La Liga alluded to, have a think about how terrorists do their research.


Edited by killsta on Sunday 17th May 18:27
Words fail me...

"Muhammed my Dear Brother... Who will we next wage our Holy Jihad against?" "Why the British Police of course - they do not carry guns, so we will give them a sporting chance and break into one of their processing centres for the bad people". "An excellent and cunning plan Brother - I'll just submit my SAR so we can find out there internal security procedures". "Remembering and in the name of Allah - Prior Planning, prevents Piss Poor Performance". "Praise be to Allah"!

Find me one sensible person - who things that a terrorist would look twice at a custody suite! (And your excluded from being sensible due to your ludicrous remarks). If they were going to target the police they would do it in a simple way, and if they were going to go to effort they would aim a bit higher than a custody sergeant, a couple of PC's, a shoplifter and a couple of addicts. You can just walk into Police Headquarters and blow us the Chief Constable ffs.

anonymous-user

53 months

Sunday 17th May 2015
quotequote all
photosnob said:
Position of cameras??? You mean the things we can see above us which you can see in a custody suite?
Where has he said 'custody suite'?

Through previous mentions of this "event", I think he's talking about either public areas, or the first public / private threshold.

Although knowing him it can change depending on what suits at the time...

photosnob said:
"Muhammed my Dear Brother... Who will we next wage our Holy Jihad against?" "Why the British Police of course - they do not carry guns, so we will give them a sporting chance and break into one of their processing centres for the bad people". "An excellent and cunning plan Brother - I'll just submit my SAR so we can find out there internal security procedures". "Remembering and in the name of Allah - Prior Planning, prevents Piss Poor Performance". "Praise be to Allah"!
Here's a recent plot where hostile reconnaissance was undertaken of a police station with police officers as the target: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-29662245




mph1977

12,467 posts

167 months

Sunday 17th May 2015
quotequote all
La Liga said:
photosnob said:
Position of cameras??? You mean the things we can see above us which you can see in a custody suite?
He's not talking about the custody suite. He's talking about either public areas or the first public / private threshold, going on his previous mentions of this "event". Although knowing him it can change depending on what suits.
exactly , also how many of the cameras are in fact 'less visible' cameras in addition to the couple of legacy cameras left for the edification of the unwashed ...