On the lessons to be learned from the handling of background information on Soham murderer Ian Huntley.
On the lessons to be learned from the handling of background information on Soham murderer Ian Huntley, Chris Fox, President of the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), said: ‘What we face is the contradictory nature of two public policies; on one hand the need to rehabilitate offenders, giving them a chance to rebuild their lives, in compliance with the letter and the spirit of law and practice on human rights now including the Human Rights Act; but on the other hand, the need to protect vulnerable people by keeping information which helps to assess the character of those in contact with such groups.’ ACPO noted that the Data Protection Acts of 1984 and 1998 provide no guidance on the statement that ‘personal data should be held for no longer than necessary’. ACPO reports it is working on guidance for forces on standard periods for record retention generally, to ensure compliance with the Freedom of Information Act which will apply to the police from January 2005.
