Is the Metropolitan Police Service actually legally registered under the Data Protection Act ?
The Information Commissioner's Office website allows you to search the official Register of Data Controllers, using , say, the keywords Name= "Police" and Address = "London":
Total Records found 16
ASSOCIATION OF POLICE AUTHORITIES LIMITED
BRITISH TRANSPORT POLICE FEDERATION
CHIEF CONSTABLE BRITISH TRANSPORT POLICE
COMMISSIONER OF POLICE FOR THE CITY OF LONDON
COMMUNITY POLICE CONSULTATIVE GROUP FOR LAMBETH LTD
EALING COMMUNITY & POLICE CONSULTATIVE GROUP
INDEPENDENT POLICE COMPLAINTS COMMISSION
METROPOLITAN AND CITY POLICE ORPHANS FUND
METROPOLITAN POLICE AUTHORITY
METROPOLITAN POLICE TRADING SERVICE
POLICE NEGOTIATING BOARD
PSDS LTD
SPLASH WILTSHIRE - (SCHOOLS AND POLICE LIAISON ACTIVITIES FOR SUMMER HOLIDAYS)
THE POLICE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ORGANISATION
WILTSHIRE CONSTABULARY POLICE FEDERATION
WILTSHIRE POLICE AUTHORITY
i.e. every public body to do with the Police in London, except for the Metropolitan Police Service or the Metropolitan Police Commissioner (alternatively legally known as the Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis). Those in Wiltshire etc. have "London" in their address e.g. London Road.
Trying other keywords such as Constable, Commissioner, Metropolitan, Metropolis etc, list the Data Protection Register entries for every other Police Force in the UK., but not the MPS.
Even the Security Service MI5 has a Data Protection Register, after all, there are plenty of exemptions to deny access to members of the public to any sensitive information.
So where is the current registration of the Metropolitan Police Service under the Data Protection Act ?
For the purposes of the Police National Computer, and the National DNA Database, and the National ANPR Database etc., it is the Chief Constable of each Police Force, who is meant to be the "Data Controller".
If there is no current, valid DPA Register registration for the Metropolitan Police Commissioner or the Metropolitan Police Service, or if the old one has run out, then that makes any use of these core police database systems illegal, and some guilty criminals will undoubtedly walk free from Court and might be awarded financial compensation, which we,as London taxpayers, will have to foot the bill for.
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