'It's bureaucratic madness': Fed member slams detective legislation

17 August 2023

Data protection legislation and disclosure guidance have been described as “bureaucratic madness” by a Hertfordshire Police Federation member.

Detective sergeant Ian Siggery said the redaction rules - known as DG6 - placed a huge strain on investigators and caused delays for the victims of crime in getting justice.

He said: “Bureaucratic madness is the only way I can describe it.

“It’s causing delays in justice for victims, which is the most significant issue. I can’t stress how time-consuming it is.

“Modern technology is supposed to be an enabler for the police service but DG6 has turned it into a disabler.

“Body-worn video has been brought in to safeguard officers and show transparency for the public but officers spend hours redacting footage let alone on documentation. It’s horrendous.”

Detective sergeant Ian Siggery

Ian worked for Hertfordshire Police for 30 years before retiring three and a half years ago. But he’s now come out of retirement because of a lack of detectives and he said that DG6 was one of the reasons people didn’t want to go into investigative work.

He added: “The legislation doesn’t fit the system either. There’s a huge imbalance between the redaction rules and what happens and what’s needed in court, and I think that’s down to a lack of consultation with those who have to use the rules.

“The role of a detective for a number of years has become unattractive to many staff on the police force. And this unnecessary burden has made it even more so, and that’s borne out by the fact we can’t get enough detectives into to do it.”

Now he’s calling on the Government to change the legislation to free thousands of hours of police time.

“I do feel the Federation’s campaign around this is gaining momentum but I wonder whether the Government want to recognise the issues and rectify it," continued Ian.

“Did they really consult with those it was going to affect? Did they consult properly with the police service and the Crown Prosecution Service?

“And will they want to acknowledge they’ve made a big mistake?”

Ben Hudson, chair of the Police Federation’s National Detectives' Forum (PFNDF), said there was “a glimmer of hope” amendments could be made to the legislation.

An amendment to the Data Protection and Data Information (No. 2) Bill, which seeks to adjust the Data Protection Act 2018, has been tabled by Jane Hunt and Peter Aldous, the Conservative MPs for Loughborough and Waveney respectively.

Under the proposed changes, police officers and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) would be exempt from certain data protection principles so they can share un-redacted data with each other when making charging decisions.

Ben, who is also secretary of the Suffolk Police Federation, said: “They aptly understand the hardships of thousands of police officers and they're calling on the Government to amend the data protection law to strengthen and expedite justice delivery.

“The amendment would result in cutting thousands of hours from police officer workloads and save valuable resources where we have officers spending incredulous amounts of time meticulously reviewing and redacting material, even before the CPS makes a charging decision, thereby allowing them to focus on other policing priorities and being visible within their communities.”