The British Security Industry Association has welcomed a Which? report on identity fraud which encourages people to shred their confidential documents.
"This report shows that one in three people don’t shred their bills and one in four have been, or know someone who has been, a victim of identity theft," says Simon Pearce, chairman of the BSIA Information Destruction section.
"ID theft is very upsetting for individuals, but it can carry even more severe implications for the reputation of businesses. A lot of businesses don’t realise that the destruction of confidential documents comes under the Data Protection Act and that using a conventional waste or recycling company is unlikely to provide the level of security necessary to ensure documents don’t go astray. Shredding is a more complex process than most people realise. It’s important that documents are shredded to a size at which details can’t still be taken from them. Also, it’s imperative that those individuals employed to shred corporate waste have been properly vetted to ensure that they don’t have a criminal background and can be trusted with what is a crucial part of any company’s security procedure."
From paper documents to disks, credit cards and even old uniforms, BSIA companies shred confidential waste to ensure that it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands. They meet a code of practice for confidential destruction of waste and conform with ISO 9000 incorporating the British Standard for vetting of personnel.
