#SIMPLIFYDG6
hours each year redacting text material. “This equates to more than £18 million of taxpayers’ money and thousands of police officer hours. This amount of time could be spent out in making their communities feel safer, dealing with vulnerable victims and detecting crimes,” he added. “This is a serious issue for the country. It is a hidden issue that PFEW has been campaigning for since August 2021 and one that has been regularly highlighted by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Service (HMICFRS) within their reports. “On 27 March in their Crime Investigations report – An inspection into how effectively the police investigate crime, the HMICFRS once again highlight the ongoing issues forces were facing with the requirements. They noted that one interviewee described disclosure obligations as a “nightmare”. They said investigators spend huge amounts of time on disclosure for case files, which has a knock-on effect on the time they have available to investigate other crimes.
“Since 2015, police-recorded crime
rates per 1,000 population have increased by 44 per cent, whereas since 2010, after accounting for changes in the population,
the number of police officers in England and Wales has decreased by 6 per cent. This means less officers to investigate more crime – Home Office data shows that over the past decade, the number of crimes recorded per police constable has increased by 32.6 per cent. “We know that in 2024 alone 9000 officers left the service. So, at a time
“Recorded crime per officer is up, experienced officers are leaving forces at an alarming rate and the demands in respect of redactions are overwhelming officers.”
when recorded crime per officer is up, experienced officers are leaving forces at an alarming rate and the demands in respect of redactions are overwhelming officers. Now is the time for action by law makers,” he said. The campaign, #SimplifyDG6, has reached its most crucial stage with the PFEW calling on the Members of Parliament, especially Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, to walk the talk and fulfil the promises made last year. The PFEW’s proposed amendments
to the data protection laws, as part of the Data (Use and Access) Bill, to alleviate the significant workload pressures on
police officers were brought before the House of Commons Select Committee on 4 March 2025 for deliberations. This follows the PFEW-backed amendments to the Data Protection Act 2018 which were extensively debated in the House of Lords when tabled by Baroness Morgan of Cotes. Earlier in May 2023, the proposed amendment was brought before Parliament through the Data Protection and Digital Information (No 2) Bill, which was designed to facilitate the transfer of personal data between police forces and the CPS prior to charging decisions. However, the Bill did not
translate into legislation because of the last general election giving rise to the Data (Use and Access) Bill currently before Parliament. On 22 March 2024, the Labour
Party announced that it had set up a commission to find ways to increase the number of crimes being solved and had warned of a “calamitous collapse” in charging and set out key reforms to ensure delivery for victims. The Labour Party adopted PFEW’s proposal as part of its new “five-point common sense plan to solve more crimes”. Point 3 of which says: “Changing data protection laws so police no longer have to redact case files
29 | POLICE | APRIL | 2025
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