I am astonished that a former police officer is allowed to retain his notes of an investigation after leaving the force, then wave them around in interviews ten years later and divulge private details of an individual when no law was broken
@DamianGreen @metpoliceukhttps://twitter.com/tonydavis56/status/936536672157749248 …
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Sorry Brian but that is nonsense! Are you suggesting it would be OK for a Solicitor or an Accountant to keep client data files after they retired and then to publish that data 10 years later? This is a clear breach of trust and a data protection breach! Indefensible!
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My understanding: The officer didn’t keep data files. The Met Police kept a copy of the hard drive. The officer kept his own notes of what he saw. Data Protection Act only applies to searchable personal data. Whether a breach of Official Secrets Act for a Court to decide.
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My understanding: The Data Protection Act 1998 (c 29) is a United Kingdom Act of Parliament designed to protect personal data stored on computers or in an organised paper filing system. Do you not think a police notebook could be described as an organised paper filing system?
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Of course it isn’t. To use your own phrase “this is nonesense.”
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I suggest we both wait and see how things play out!
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Can you please omit me from further discussion thanks or will have to reluctantly block. Will never be convinced case notes on a closed case should be outside a secure area.
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Ooooh handbags

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Well Brian, you may not have liked the CPS, but I did work for them for 28 years, so worked very closely with police & do have an inkling of their culture & practice. Evidence is retained but usually by the force not individual officers. I find the retired officer's actions odd.
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The evidence (copy of hard drive) was kept by the Force, not the officer. He kept his notes, as far as I understand it. The question of who started it was, I think, Bob Quick & not this officer. Damien Green then retaliated calling officers’ integrity into question. No winners
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Thank you that’s helpful it’s such a shame how hard vast majority of Police Officers work and how reputation is so important to the role and hard won. This sort of stuff is bordering on political tampering and will have repercussions on trust. Have a good weekend.
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Brian you appear to draw equivalence btwn v. senior police officer (ret'd) engaging in political smear and v. senior politician (active) doing same. Is that your point of view? No difference, same expectations of character and expected behaviour? Hope not
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I think likely to be personal rather than political (Quick v Green). Personally, porn on computer not an issue but press story related to attitudes in Parliament to sexual harassment of women. MP said officer was lying about porn - appears he wasn’t. Poor judgement on both sides.
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Agree poor on both sides but police have powers that if misused destroy civic trust even more than politicians. This speaks to character and our faith that those with warrant cards don't misuse them. Quick shows why he was removed, but how did he rise so high?
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Also not clear that politician lied (surprisingly). In your political role, do you think likely that at time of Tory surge against Labour, in Shadow Immigration portfolio, Green wld've had time or privacy to spend hours scrolling '000's' of images?
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2 issues. Was porn found on computer? Apparently yes. Who put it there, who was using it? - there’s an investigation. My understanding: Quick said computer in Green’s office had porn on it. Green said it was a political smear. Exactly what was said & who lied? We don’t know...yet
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As a ret’d Officer, there is no need for anyone, including retired officers to personally retain documentation of any case. Any information should be kept on file, securely stored. To be reactivated for a court case or other official enquiry. No excuse for this ret’d off actions.
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With the greatest respect, depends at what level you’re operating at and what sort of cases you’re involved in. For example, if a senior police officer were to be accused of rape and there are allegations of a cover-up, you keep your own notes, trust me.
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With respect I doubt any member of public think a retired officer should have ANY material that formed a part of a closed investigation from 10 years ago when no action taken at that time. If needed as doubts retained in Police secure storage?
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Yes, Nick. It's that NFA decision that makes it weird. I once had notes from a retired officer who had kept ALL his notes including in an unsolved cold case where new evidence had come to light. But that had never been concluded, unlike this one.
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According to the College of Policing's Code of Ethics, which applies to forces in England and Wales, police agree to disclose information "only in the proper course of my duties". Ex Chief Constable of Manchester Sir Peter Fahy said “It is very dangerous territory.”
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