The contents of a policeman’s notebook falls within the provisions of the Data Protection Act. Therefore, if the cops have made any entry in it that refers to you, your address or an incident concerning yourself, then you’re entitled to see what they’ve been writing. This is vital evidence if you’re thinking of making an official complaint against the police or mounting a civil claim against them. But be warned. Cops do not like to give up their notebooks readily for public scrutiny, and will go to great lengths to hide as much as they can. Most commonly by placing strips of paper over the juicy bits before sliding it under the photocopier. Or ‘redacting’ as it’s more commonly known in official parlance. They will sometimes submit badly photocopied results, which combined with the officer’s illegible handwriting can often make the submissions impossible to read. However, if you suspect the cops are trying to hide the information that you are entitled too, then appeal to the Information Commissioners Office – the government office tasked with ensuring companies comply with data protection – and if you are successful they will issue the police with a compliance notice, forcing them to to submit the full untampered information you requested.
Posted on: Tue, 30 Jul 2013 19:37:25 +0000
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