Friday 13 August 2010

Well, I Suppose This Is One Way To Stop Nuisance 999 Calls…

Tens of thousands of innocent members of the public who report crimes are having their personal details stored on a 'secret' police database.

Those calling 999 about an incident or witnesses to crimes are routinely being asked for their ethnicity and date of birth, it has emerged.
So, just say ‘No’. How hard can it be?

After all, it’s voluntary, as they have to admit…
A spokesman for North Yorkshire Police confirmed that callers are routinely asked their name, date of birth and ethnicity.

Assistant Chief Constable Sue Cross said it was 'categorically wrong' to suggest that the force was operating a 'secret database'.

She said: 'Data quality is an essential factor in being effective, which is why we request that individuals who come into contact with North Yorkshire Police provide additional information regarding their date of birth and ethnicity.

'Whilst this is completely voluntary on the part of each person, this desirable information allows the police to create a unique person record which can help to accurately identify repeat callers who may be subject of ongoing problems with crime and anti-social behaviour or other issues such as domestic violence.'
The problem is, as Longrider points out, no-one says ‘no’ anymore. We have been selectively conditioned to obey.

When I went to set up a hospital x-ray appointment for my arm, the receptionist asked me for my mobile phone number. I said ‘no’; she looked up in surprise and said ‘Don’t you have one?’.

I replied that I did, but she wasn’t having it, as it wasn’t necessary, nor would I be giving her my work number. She looked even more surprised at that!
A spokesman for the National Policing Improvement Agency, which issued the guidance on information management to forces across the country, said officers should only record details proportionate to the offence.

He added: 'For example, more information may be required for a murder compared to a witness to shoplifting. And ethnicity may be an issue in a race hate crime.'
Really?

Even if you are just dialling 999 to report one? Pull the other one!

So why are the police keeping these details anyway?
The police system of record keeping was reformed following the Bichard inquiry into the Soham murders, which saw Humberside and Cambridgeshire police being heavily criticised for their failings in maintaining intelligence records on Ian Huntley.
/facepalm.

That law of unexpected consequences strikes again….

8 comments:

Brian, follower of Deornoth said...

It is quite common in the computer trade for the programmers and similar people to regard the real world not as a thing of itself but as a source of data for their software system.

This condition appears to have spread to the bureaucracy, which regards the outside world rather as a source of input to their internal procedures than as something that actually exists in its own right.

MTG said...

The North Yorkshire proletariat are still a favoured bunch, Julia.

Here in West Yorkshire, commoners are subject to police budget counter measures, whereby crime numbers are only released in exchange for personal and bank details with pin number.

subrosa said...

This has been happening here for some years Julia. Just the other week I phoned my local police to inform them of a con phone call I'd had. I was told, "Last time you phoned it was to do with a stray dog." I had to think hard, then remembered I'd reported a stray dog in my garden a few years ago. As asked the telephonist how she knew that and she openly stated it was on her database. Concerning indeed.

subrosa said...

As = I. Sorry interrupted too often when writing that comment.

Longrider said...

One is reminded of the little robot Johnny 5 "input, input"

blueknight said...

Post Stephen Lawrence, Police Forces have to look for the race element in any crime. Doing this makes them appear less institutionally racist.
At street level this means that the Old Bill investigating a possibly racially aggravated case of 'knock down ginger' have to ask victim Granny Smith what her ethnicity is, even though she is white as ice cream and speaks the Queen's English perfectly.
Post the CPI Act disclosure rules, when a case goes to Court, the defence clutching at straws, always want to know whether the witness (Granny Smith) has any criminal convictions. And for that you need an accurate date of birth.
Post Dunblane, all calls to houses are recorded in case anyone from the house applies for a firearms licence. Or to keep a record of domestic incidents so that a woman can claim reasonable excuse when she stabs her husband years later....
Sunrise Sunset. Cause and effect
there is if

JuliaM said...

"It is quite common in the computer trade for the programmers and similar people to regard the real world not as a thing of itself but as a source of data for their software system."

I've been guilty of that, at times!

"Just the other week I phoned my local police to inform them of a con phone call I'd had. I was told, "Last time you phoned it was to do with a stray dog." "

Some people might find that sinister, and be puut off calling. I wonder if that's the goal?

"One is reminded of the little robot Johnny 5 "input, input""

Heh! Indeed...

"Sunrise Sunset. Cause and effect "

Knee-jerk legislation always, ALWAYS, has consequences far beyond the actual problem. When will we ever learn.

selsey.steve said...

Every 999 caller has always been logged 'just in case'.
Every person giving a statement (an MG11) has to give a whole page of personal details; these are all 'harvested' and are also entered on a database.
Every Stop & Check results in a form being filled in; these details are also collected. Just about everyone who comes into contact with the Police in any way ends up listed on a database.