Police blunder puts witness data at risk
CRIME witnesses have had their personal details put at risk by Police Scotland as part of a new datahandling blunder.
Crisis- hit charity Victim Support Scotland (VSS) has been passed the private information of thousands of people interviewed by officers.
The law says the counsellors should only receive the names, addresses and phone numbers of those who give their consent and require support.
But the force has admitted it has been wrongly handing over personal data without permission. It won’t say how many Scots have been affected.
The revelation comes months after privacy watchdog the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) warned that victim support groups in the UK were leaving sensitive data unguarded and liable to be stolen.
Police Scotland is al r eady embroiled in investigations into how i t mishandled potentially crucial information from the public in three inquiries, including a fatal crash on the M9 where a couple lay in their car for three days.
Last night, critics claimed the latest blunder could put witnesses’ safety at risk and deter people from reporting crime.
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie said: ‘ Our personal information and data has been shoddily managed by Police Scotland. This raises obvious questions over security. We need to know how many people have been affected by the inappropriate transfer of information to Victim Support Scotland.’
VSS has been in turmoil in recent months following the resignation of its chairman and two trustees amid claims of strife between management and its board.
Pol Clementsmith, of civil liberties campaign the Open Rights Group, said the latest revelation is a ‘glowing example of public bodies acting outside the law’.
Chief Superintendent Paul Main, Police Scotland’s head of safer communities, admitted: ‘We have been made aware that under legacy systems and guidance, there have been instances where victims of crime have been referred to Victim Support Scotland in circumstances where the referral process has either not been fully communicated or understood by the victim.
He added: ‘This is an issue which is being addressed.’
A VSS spokesman said: ‘ The police pass us very basic information and we have a duty to try and make contact with those whose details we receive to offer support.’
An ICO spokesman said: ‘ We’ve been i n contact with Police Scotland to remind them of their responsibilities.’
‘Obvious questions
over security’