More than half a million people in Scotland are listed on a police intelligence database – despite many having committed no offence.
Latest figures show that information on 508,682 adults and children is being stored on the Scottish Intelligence Database (SID) – a system launched in 2003 to target organised crime gangs.
The ‘alarming’ numbers has prompted fury from critics who last night feared the database ‘now seems to be a capture for anyone’.
They called on Police Scotland to be ‘upfront’ about its criteria for storing information, claiming it was ‘no different’ to having a camera placed in their homes ‘just in case’.
Human rights activist and lawyer Aamer Anwar described it as ‘an attack on democracy’.
More than half a million people are on Police Scotland’s intelligence database
He said it should be a ‘matter of deep concern’ that half a million people in a country with a population of little over five million ‘find themselves on a database set up to target serious organised crime.’
He added: ‘If people found out they were on the database they would want to know why, and they would want it removed. I know people say if you’ve got nothing to hide, you’ve nothing to worry about.
‘But it’s no difference to having a camera placed in your house, just in case. It’s absolutely crazy. I knew the numbers were high, but one in 10 is surprisingly shocking.
‘Now it seems to be a capture for anyone. There’s certainly not one in 10 people in Scotland involved in serious organised crime. It’s simply not true.. If it was, we would have lost the war on law and order.’
And with so much information on the database, including details of those reported for minor or non-criminal incidents, he questioned how the police would be able to ‘prioritise’ genuine intelligence.
He said: ‘With half a million [names] it’s like trying to find a needle in a haystack.’
And Mr Anwar added: ‘It begs the question what is this unit doing and what is the database for?’
Lawyer Aamer Anwar described the scale of the force’s database as ‘an attack on democracy’
Scottish Conservative MSP Murdo Fraser, who previously accused Police Scotland of acting unlawfully after it logged his details when a trans activist reported him over a comment he made regarding the Scottish Government’s gender policy, called for the force to be ‘up front’ about its criteria for storing information.
He said: ‘It’s alarming that one in ten of Scots appear on this police database. I wonder how many of these 500,000-plus people know that their details are stored and, more importantly, why.
‘Police Scotland must be up front about their criteria for retaining files on so many of our citizens, very many of whom will have no criminal record.’
The aim of the intelligence database, when it was set up 21 years ago, was to allow Scotland’s then eight regional police forces to share data with the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency.
But the figures, obtained under Freedom of Information laws, show the numbers on the database have jumped by more than 61,000 in just seven years, with anyone over 12, the age of criminal responsibility, able to have their details logged.
Scottish Lib Dem justice spokesman Liam McArthur described the numbers on the database as ‘startling’.
He added: ‘While it is important that we support the police in modernising the service, this should never come at the cost of privacy obligations and civil liberties.
‘It is unclear how long this data is held for, which is particularly concerning in cases where people have been found not guilty in court or where no charges have been pursued.
‘The full force of modern technology means it is easy for companies and public bodies to amass a huge amount of data on us in a short space of time, if given the opportunity.
‘That’s why we need to have rules and frameworks in place to help keep us right, something which the police have already indicated they would welcome.’
The database is linked to a similar one in England and Wales, which allows officers to access information across the UK.
It is separate from the Police National Computer, which records criminal convictions.
A spokesman for Police Scotland said: ‘The SID is an essential resource that allows police officers to carry out their role safely and effectively. We regularly review intelligence that is retained to make sure it is appropriate and complies with the Data Protection Act 2018.
‘Individuals have the right to access the information held about them, subject to certain restrictions, via a Subject Access Request.’
