Humberside police data protection – ICO audit

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) recently published an audit report into Humberside Police data protection matters which makes for alarming reading.

In two key areas that the ICO looked at, they issued an opinion that there was a “limited” assurance rating following the audit.

Your Lawyers, as leading Data Leak Lawyers, recognise how important police data protection is and why it is absolutely vital that victims are afforded some form of justice for any misuse of private information. We are here to help with No Win, No Fee representation.

Recent ICO audit into Humberside police data protection

The ICO recently published an audit report into Humberside Police data protection matters. In the report, the scope of the audit confirmed that the ICO had looked into “governance and accountability” and “information security”.

Given that the police store and process a significant volume of very sensitive and confidential information, some of which relate to crimes where victims need protecting, the importance of data protection in the police environment cannot be understated. Unfortunately, according to the ICO report, the assurance rating has been assessed as “limited” in both the areas that they looked at. The ICO confirms that the meaning of this is as follows:

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.

The report also confirmed that there were a number of high-priority matters that will need to be looked into.

It is alarming to see the outcome of this report given how important police data protection is. It seems to us that Humberside Police must now do all they can to improve data protection compliance to prevent any misuse and/or exposure of personal information.

Police data breach compensation cases

Police data protection compensation cases can be significant because the nature of the information that may be misused or exposed can be very personal and sensitive. This is why we are citing the ICO report on Humberside Police data protection matters because the importance of information governance in this kind of setting really is essential.

If we are to talk about serious examples, consider issues such as this: what if a criminal or a perpetrator was able to access the information of a victim? What if data in relation to a serious crime has been lost? What if images of crime scenes that could be distressing for the victims have been leaked or exposed? Ultimately, it is alarming to see the ICO report into Humberside police data protection labelling key areas as “limited”.

Although we cannot undo what has been done, the GDPR can allow victims of a data breach to claim compensation for any distress that has been caused by the misuse of private information. Generally speaking, the more sensitive and personal information is, the higher a compensation award and pay-out could be. As such, it is quite normal for police data breach compensation cases to attract high damages amounts.

Claim for the leakage of confidential information

The leakage of confidential information can allow you to claim compensation, and we may be able to represent you on a No Win, No Fee basis.

Speak to our team here now and we will be happy to provide you with free, no-obligation legal advice.

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