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Police National Computer - access and safeguards

01 January 1991

Police National Computer - access and safeguards
bacdoc January=1992

Hansard written answer 10.2.89 Col 821

Mr Douglas Hogg, Minister of State at the Home Office said that
measures taken to prevent access to the Police National Computer
(PNC) by unauthorised bodies, such as nongovernmental and private
organisations, include restrictions on access from public
telephone links, and regular checks centrally and in forces on
accesses to the information held on the PNC. These measures are
being reviewed in the light of recent cases, although these cases
involved the misuse of the PNC by personnel who were authorised
to have access.
He also said that British Telecom does not have direct access
to the Police National Computer. It does, however, receive from
the police details of convictions of members of its staff, and
some of this information is held on the PNC; the BBC does not
have direct access to the PNC. It may, however receive from the
police information held on the PNC in the course of carrying out
the security procedures referred to recently in my hon Friend's
reply to questions from the hon. Member for Brent, East (Mr.
Livingstone) on I February 1989 at column 254.

No non-governmental organisations have direct access to the PNC,
but arrangements exist for information from police records,
including the records held on the PNC, to be disclosed to
selected organisations where this is clearly in the public
interest, for instance, the arrangements which enable local
authorities and other bodies to obtain information on those
seeking to work with children.