NCJ Number
134433
Date Published
1988
Length
31 pages
Annotation
This booklet presents Recommendation Number R(87) 15, adopted by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on September 17, 1987; it pertains to Council member states' regulation of the use of personal data in the police sector.
Abstract
The Recommendation presents eight basic principles that govern police use of personal data. One principal addresses control and notification. One component of this principle states that each Member State should have an independent supervisory authority outside the police sector to be responsible for ensuring respect for the principles contained in the Recommendation. The second principle focuses on data collection. It states that the collection of personal data for police purposes should be limited to that necessary for the prevention of a significant danger or the suppression of a specific criminal offense. The third principle, which covers data storage, advises that the storage of personal data should be limited to accurate data and to such data as are necessary for police to perform their lawful tasks. Other principles pertain to police data use; the communication of data; publicity, right of access to police files, right of rectification, and right of appeal; length of storage and data updating; and data security. This booklet also provides an explanatory memorandum that interprets each principle.