As librarians we are not here to make a moral
judgement. Do we stop putting books on abortion in
public libraries because an individual librarian
believes it to be morally wrong?
The DPA is there for a reason. If there is a database
the police think can help them, they'll work it out
and gain access to it though the proper channels.
Maria
--- Roy Davies <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> The original enquiry was about a very serious
> offence, not
> something trivial like parking fines! In a case like
> this I
> would have thought that what is important is what is
>
> MORALLY right. If librarians have information
> relevant to cases of rape, grievous bodily harm or
> muder, then quibbles about the law on data
> protection will
> help the culprits to escape and will, quite
> justifiably,
> bring both librarians and the law into disrepute.
>
> Roy Davies
> University of Exeter
>
> On Fri, 28 Jan 2000 17:08:42 GMT Infologistix
> <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> > Dear Hanah and Lis-Link,
> >
> > As a non-lawyer, but someone who has to
> comply with the Data
> > Protection Act, I would have thought you would be
> on very thin ice.
> >
> > Unless all your tenants are serial rapists
> or suspects you would be
> > handing over personal data on the off-chance that
> it might be useful, with
> > very little control of what it would then be used
> for.
> >
> > I thought this was just what the the DPA
> was supposed to prevent.
> >
> > I would not feel happy handing over such
> data unless someone had
> > sifted it or qualified it by some measure of
> reasonable suspicion.
> >
> > John Ross
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
> > At 13:39 28/01/00 -0000, you wrote:
> > >Dear All,
> > >
> > >Here's a puzzler for a Friday afternoon:
> > >
> > >I work for a social landlord in Bath looking
> after (among other things) a
> > >database of our 10,000 properties in the city of
> Bath and surrounding area.
> > >On Tuesday's Crimewatch there was an appeal about
> a serial rapist in Bath
> > >and my immediate thought was that maybe the
> records I look after would be
> > >useful - they detail who lived where and when
> back to at least the early
> > >nineties.
> > >
> > >Just to be on the safe side I okayed it with my
> boss. 'Fine,' she said, 'but
> > >check the data protection issues.' I had a look
> on the website (
> > >http://www.dataprotection.gov.uk/
> <http://www.dataprotection.gov.uk/> ) and
> > >couldn't find the answer so I phoned the
> information line. The limited
> > >information I received was that if the police ask
> us for information and we
> > >believe that we would be hindering their
> investigations by not supplying it
> > >then we can share what we know, but we can't
> approach them and offer our
> > >assistance.
> > >
> > >My question really is how accurate is this? Are
> there any exceptions when
> > >the act is applied to the police?
> > >
> > >Any help would be gratefully received.
> > >
> > >Many thanks
> > >Hannah
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >Hannah Cooke BA (Hons)
> > >Management Information Officer
> > >Somer Community Housing Trust
> > >Westmoreland House
> > >Westmoreland Street
>
> > >Lower Bristol Road
> > >Bath BA2 3HE
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >01225 326057
> > >int 6057
> > >
> > >
> > > <mailto:[log in to unmask]>
> [log in to unmask]
> > >
>
>
>
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