London’s finest, the Metropolitan Police, have been investigated by the Information Commissioner’s Office who have found that their use and deployment of a so-called ‘Gangs Matrix was an egregious breach of current data protection laws.

According to the ICO:

“The investigation into the Gangs Matrix, a database that records intelligence related to alleged gang members, began in October 2017 after concerns were raised by Amnesty International.

The ICO found that whilst there was a valid purpose for the database, the inconsistent way it was being used did not comply with data protection rules.

It has now issued an Enforcement Notice, compelling the MPS to ensure it complies with data protection laws in future and has given them six months to make these changes, which the MPS has accepted and already started to implement.”

The ICO stated that they didn’t think the database was inappropriate for the context of its use – they found that the access processes were flawed and needed overhauling.