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Criminals could go unpunished because evidence collected from crime scenes was not recorded in the electronic system.
The UK government is assessing the possible consequences of a "technical error" that caused 150,000 records to be deleted from police databases, including suspects ' fingerprints, DNA samples and information about arrests.
According to The Times, as a result of the incident, criminals could go unpunished, since biometric evidence collected from crime scenes was not recorded in the Police National Computer (PNC) electronic system, where data on criminal investigations is stored. Law enforcement agencies use PNC to obtain information that can help in investigations of national, regional and local criminal cases.
The software bug not only caused critical information about suspects to disappear from Police National Computer, but also threw the British visa system into disarray. The issuance of British visas has been suspended for two days as a police database is used to check applicants for offences.
According to sources of The Times, 150 thousand records about those arrested were accidentally deleted during the next weekly "cleaning" of data whose storage period has already expired (the British authorities are obliged to delete data about detainees who were not convicted, after three years of storage). The possibility of malicious activity, such as a cyberattack, was excluded.
According to the UK Home Office, the deleted records relate to individuals who were arrested but then released without any further action. However, according to representatives of the UK Labour Party, the incident poses a huge threat to public safety, writes the BBC. The loss of data as a result of a technical error could hinder further police investigations because the suspects ' fingerprints and DNA samples cannot be matched to evidence from other crime scenes.
The Minister of Police, Protection and Public Safety of Great Britain Kit Malthouse (Kit Malthouse) assured that the cause of the problem has already been identified, and the procedure for deleting outdated records has been adjusted to avoid similar incidents in the future. Currently, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Council of the Director of the National Police and other law enforcement agencies are working "at a pace" to recover the lost data.
The UK government is assessing the possible consequences of a "technical error" that caused 150,000 records to be deleted from police databases, including suspects ' fingerprints, DNA samples and information about arrests.
According to The Times, as a result of the incident, criminals could go unpunished, since biometric evidence collected from crime scenes was not recorded in the Police National Computer (PNC) electronic system, where data on criminal investigations is stored. Law enforcement agencies use PNC to obtain information that can help in investigations of national, regional and local criminal cases.
The software bug not only caused critical information about suspects to disappear from Police National Computer, but also threw the British visa system into disarray. The issuance of British visas has been suspended for two days as a police database is used to check applicants for offences.
According to sources of The Times, 150 thousand records about those arrested were accidentally deleted during the next weekly "cleaning" of data whose storage period has already expired (the British authorities are obliged to delete data about detainees who were not convicted, after three years of storage). The possibility of malicious activity, such as a cyberattack, was excluded.
According to the UK Home Office, the deleted records relate to individuals who were arrested but then released without any further action. However, according to representatives of the UK Labour Party, the incident poses a huge threat to public safety, writes the BBC. The loss of data as a result of a technical error could hinder further police investigations because the suspects ' fingerprints and DNA samples cannot be matched to evidence from other crime scenes.
The Minister of Police, Protection and Public Safety of Great Britain Kit Malthouse (Kit Malthouse) assured that the cause of the problem has already been identified, and the procedure for deleting outdated records has been adjusted to avoid similar incidents in the future. Currently, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Council of the Director of the National Police and other law enforcement agencies are working "at a pace" to recover the lost data.