ICO reprimands Thames Valley Police for releasing witness details to suspected criminals
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has issued a reprimand to Thames Valley Police (TVP) after details were released which led to suspected criminals learning the address of a witness.
The ICO said the witness had to move house and the “impact and risk to them remains high”.
It found the force did “not have appropriate steps, such as training, in place to ensure officers were aware of guidance around disclosure and redaction”.
The ICO said this was a breach of data protection law.
It added that the force has since updated guidance and policy documents about redaction but “more needs to be done”.
The ICO has recommended that TVP should take action to ensure their compliance with data protection law, including providing training to all staff responsible for redactions and disclosures, sharing updates to policies or processes as soon as they are available, and continuously reviewing policies and guidance on the handling of personal data
Natasha Longson, ICO head of investigations, said: “Sensitive personal information relating to crimes needs to be handled with great care. This case shows the impact on vulnerable people if that’s not done.
“Our enforcement action in this case should act as a warning to other organisations that they must take sensible steps to protect people’s personal details.”