Police forces break privacy rules on security, access and time

Every police force in the country breaks the privacy rules on information about non-suspects to some extent, according to research by lobby group Bits of Freedom.


The organisation bases its claims on documents obtained using freedom of information legislation.
The police are allowed to process information on people who are not considered suspects under strict rules and the way they do this is subject to a review every four years, the Volkskrant said on Wednesday.
Open access
However, Bits of Freedom research showed every force fails to comply with the rules. For example, the information is not secure, there is often no register of who has access to the information and it is often kept for longer than legally allowed.
Worst offender is the Koninklijke Marechaussee, the military police force, which breaks 80% of the rules, the organisation said.
‘The police have to work very hard to get things in order over the next few months,’ spokesman Rejo Zenger told the paper.

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