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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Police win record deletion appeal | Police win record deletion appeal |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| Five police forces which challenged a ruling that they should delete records on criminal convictions from their database have won their appeal. | Five police forces which challenged a ruling that they should delete records on criminal convictions from their database have won their appeal. |
| The court of appeal said convictions, however old and however minor, can be of value in the fight against crime. | The court of appeal said convictions, however old and however minor, can be of value in the fight against crime. |
| The court said that as a result the retention of that information should not be denied to the police. | The court said that as a result the retention of that information should not be denied to the police. |
| The forces said if they had lost, they may have been forced to delete details of as many as one million people. | The forces said if they had lost, they may have been forced to delete details of as many as one million people. |
| The police added if the original ruling had been upheld, the result would have been a "liars' charter" - where people would be able to deny criminal convictions on job applications if they knew the deletion deadline had passed. | The police added if the original ruling had been upheld, the result would have been a "liars' charter" - where people would be able to deny criminal convictions on job applications if they knew the deletion deadline had passed. |
| Held for 100 years | |
| The original ruling came about after five people complained to the information commissioner because their criminal records showed up when they applied for jobs. | |
| One of the cases was a record held by Humberside Police about the theft of a 99p packet of meat in 1984. The person involved, who was under 18 at the time, was fined £15. | |
| Another, held by West Midlands Police, referred to a theft which took place more than 25 years ago, for which the individual was fined £25. | |
| And a third, held by Staffordshire Police, related to someone under 14 who was cautioned for a minor assault. | |
| Under current policy, criminal records remain on the police national computer for up to 100 years. |