Met Police faces data training failures after ICO notice

The Metropolitan Police is facing scrutiny after up to 70 per cent of its officers failed to complete mandatory data protection training. This comes after the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) issued an enforcement notice highlighting "serious and ongoing shortcomings" in the force's data handling practices.

Previous Data Breaches Prompt ICO Action

The ICO's enforcement notice mandates the Metropolitan Police to implement specific improvements within three to 12 months. This action follows two significant data protection failures. In one instance, an officer disclosed a victim's new address and phone number to an alleged stalker. In another, a bulk email inadvertently revealed the names and email addresses of 18 individuals connected to the 'Honeytrap' scandal in Westminster.

Records show that in the 'Honeytrap' incident, the officer responsible had not completed data protection training for over four years, and their line manager had also been out of compliance for a similar period. Senior officers admitted during a London Assembly Police and Crime Committee session that compliance must be achieved urgently, though they declined to provide a specific timeframe.

Calls for Improved Training Uptake

Kenny Bowie, Director of Strategy & MPS Oversight at the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC), acknowledged that the training uptake figure "wasn't particularly good" and stated it "needs to be improved". He emphasised that this is a matter of personal responsibility for officers.

Benali Hamdache, Green Party London Assembly Member, described the situation as "unacceptable". He noted that this revelation follows a recent apology from the Met for inadvertently disclosing email addresses of around 140 individuals who claim to have been sexually abused by the late Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed. Mr Hamdache stressed that every officer must complete the mandatory training as a priority.

Mr Bowie told London Assembly Members that the ICO is monitoring the situation and that there is an "imperative upon the Met Police to do this". He also pointed out that these data protection failures can have a "real corrosive impact" on victims who come forward to the police.