Greater Manchester Police data concerns – ICO report

At the start of the year, the UK’s data watchdog, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), issued a report highlighting concerns in respect of Greater Manchester Police data practises.

A number of alarming findings appear to have been made, and the overall headline is that the ICO has little assurance in respect of the force being able to ensure that data protection law is complied with in some areas. Given that the police must store and process a significant wealth of very personal and sensitive information, the report makes for concerning reading.

No one is above the law, and this includes the police. Victims can be eligible to claim data breach compensation when it is the police at fault for a breach, and we can help.

About the Greater Manchester Police data concerns

In my view, the 11-page report commissioned by the ICO in respect of Greater Manchester Police data concerns makes for grave reading in parts. In their Audit Summary, the ICO issued the force with an Assurance Rating of “Limited” in respect of the three areas of scope that they looked into.

The areas of scope looked at are as follows:

• Governance and Accountability.
• Information Security.
• Training and Awareness.

The overall opinion cited for each of these areas in the report from the ICO read as follows for each of them:

“There is a limited level of assurance that processes and procedures are in place and are delivering data protection compliance. The audit has identified considerable scope for improvement in existing arrangements to reduce the risk of non-compliance with data protection legislation.”

In the breakdown of the matters that required the most urgency, there were a total of 16 “urgent” priority recommendations made, and a total of 61 “high” priority recommendations made. The ICO also published a list of specific areas for improvement as part of the report.

Concerns in respect of police data breaches

The ICO report looking into the Greater Manchester Police data matters does make for concerning reading. We represent a number of victims of police data breach matters, ranging from leaks and breaches caused by consent issues, to snooping on the Police National Computer databases causing a breach.

We know how bad the impact can be for anyone who has suffered from this kind of breach, particularly given that the police store and process a great deal of very personal and sensitive information. In some cases, a data breach can put people in real danger if exposed information falls into the wrong hands.

This is why it is vital for all police forces in the UK to have the very best when it comes to data protection procedures and compliance. To see an official ICO report highlighting a lot of concerns makes for worrying reading.

Hopefully, the ICO report will lead to Manchester Police data protection improvements as a matter of urgency.

Claiming compensation for a data breach

Victims who have suffered due to a data breach can be entitled to claim compensation now on a No Win, No Fee basis. You could be eligible to receive compensation for any distress caused by the loss of control of your personal information.

You can speak to the team now for free, no-obligation advice about a data breach matter, and our team will do all it can to try to help you.

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