CRB errors mean thousands wrongly branded as criminals

CRB errors mean thousands wrongly branded as criminals

news.techeye.net

Nearly 12,000 people have been wrongly branded as criminals over the past five years as a result of irrelevant or inaccurate information disclosed during criminal record checks.

According to the latest from Big Brother Watch, 11,893 people successfully challenged their CRB results after being branded as criminals - forcing the government to shell out £1.98 million in redress.

(visit the link for the full news article)

I remember with fondness, the continuous arguments of the fear peddlers and government control freaks "You've nothing to fear, if you've done no wrong."

yet ... the pudding has proven otherwise - hasn't it?

CRB checks are regularly carried out for employment applications, especially for those looking to work with children or in the medical sector.

Details are then sent directly to current or potential employers, meaning that any black mark could be detrimental.

The stats show 4,196 people challenged information held by a local police force, while 3,519 people were given the wrong person’s criminal record. A further 4,088 people were also claimed to have found inaccurate information or a potential wrong identity on police national computers.

Big Data is being pushed out of it's potential for exploitation (commercial, of course) BUT it is being marketed to us "regular folk" as "AOK" when in fact, the parking place for "big data" seems to be littered with garbage.

When you receive no feedback from inquiry onto a position; when your loan get's rejected, when you find a permit inexplicably not forthcoming.... it's on you to locate their error and correct it... they are - apparently - allowed to hold erroneous information about you...

Nothing to fear? I think the evidence clearly speaks for itself....

This isn't the first time such checks have come under fire. In February last year, The Telegraph revealed that around 20,000 people had been wrongly labelled as criminals or accused of more serious offences because of blunders by the police and the CRB, since 2003.

Coming to America soon (I promise)..... you're a criminal.... until and unless YOU prove otherwise....

news.techeye.net
(visit the link for the full news article)

So it doesn't actually matter if you spout anti-government thoughts on a social network site, they'll throw you in jail anyway

Even if you're not regarded as a verbal terrorist folks, we're ALL in danger

reply to post by Zcustosmorum


Nope... it really couldn't matter, the way they've set this "system" up.

It's akin to "your word against the prosecution's witness (a machine)" ... and you can probably imagine whose word bears more "weight."

I feel badly for those of us who think these "commonly available resources" - like running license plate numbers, checking public records for criminal connections, or even simply looking at a persons otherwise innocuous information on the web... is trustworthy AT ALL. How many police actions have been prompted by this "bad data?"

Many here have spent a lot of time trying to develop a "citizen-journalist" paradigm.... but one day they will use these tools and - without even realizing it, accomplish the purpose of lie and deceit.

Often the truth is as easy to get as asking... but our culture is sliding into a "check the records" mentality which assumes that the record is accurate... or that no one would ever purposefully enter incorrect information...

Right now I can virtually guarantee that at least one of the members in our midst is wrongly associated with crime. I can virtually guarantee that someone we are in full-out "conspiracy" accusation mode, is being done an inhuman disservice... and we have no tools to undo that damage.

Sorry... got a bit of rantitis there ....

Let's not be "they" who accuse because "we can" ...

Surely the fact that those wrongly fingered by CRB checks not only challenged them but also got redress indicates that there are adequate checks and balances.

Or would you rather have a situation where employers are unable to verify that people applying for positions with access to children or other vulnerable people are actually safe to do so? We've had quite a few child murders and serious assaults prior to the CRB's being introduced by people who specifically sought out those roles in order to gain access to the persons they target.

Also, bear in mind that 11,000 out of millions of people over a 5 year period is actually a rather small number. In any system, mistakes will be made and it is quite misleading to try and paint it as anything else.

Once again, the OP is using something that they don't really understand to try and prove some sort of peculiar point, just like the thread about the LCP.

reply to post by stumason


I think that the unintended defamation against 11,000 innocent people had a devastating impact on every one of them.

Could you imagine securing a job pending the outcome of a CRB report and having the offer withdrawn? The shock and humiliation must be unbearable.

reply to post by stumason


Well, it appears you and I are separated by more than a common language.

I contend and maintain that any institution who collects and distributes personal information which can or will be used against the subject must have a completely transparent and mandated responsibility to maintain that data error-free. I am certain that the more than ten thousand people who were subjected to the institution's "business as usual" approach, it is no 'acceptably small' matter; nor is it 'understandable' and devoid of relevance to my nation....

Certainly, in America, we will be treated with equal clinical detachment from the merchants of data... as supported by the 'government as a client.'

I would prefer we discuss the LCP matter within that thread ... although your point appears to be that I should not presume to comment on matters regarding your nation, or culture.

Frankly, I would prefer you enlighten me, as oppose to silence my musings.

Unfortunately they will argue to fix this, all we need to do is submit DNA, offer up our irises for scanning, put RFID chips under our skin, and voila, no more mistaken identities.

Until of course the jaded ex wife sees her ex husbands name in the database and clicks the "switch profile with Charles Manson" button.

11,000 out of the millions of checks done really isn’t all that bad, it’s not fantastic but it’s to be expected.

CRB checked are needed for so many jobs, it’s understandable why but it’s a right pain, In Scotland we have the PVG scheme which for me works out better.

I would be more worried that evidence showed 11,000 paedophiles got jobs they shouldn’t have got as a result of mistaken CRB’s rather than 11,000 innocent people being mistakenly having a criminal record show up. I think as well if it is possible to appeal it then it should be ok also I know that CRB shows up loads of information, I would guess that loads of these mistaken CRBs are things like saying the job applicant has a speeding ticket, mistakes could also include including things like old crimes that should not show up. I had a friend who had this problem, a caution he had gotten like 15 years ago showed up as his juvenile record which should not have been on it.

I think if you looked at these cases on a individual level then think that most would have been resolved and relatively minor mistakes.

reply to post by stumason


Stu, the amount of money the British tax payer sheds every year into the governments pockets, should mean that mistakes like this happen once a year, and only in the strangest circumstances. This is not the case, and that is utterly unacceptable. When we pay money to the government, we expect to get service comensurate with the effort and energy we have expended to earn the money, to pay the tax, which the government is supposed to spend on these things.

This is not being done appropriately. In fact, the government is wasting many tens of billions of pounds, through poor contracts, and allowing its paper pushing hordes to leech money from a system that could do without them, or at least do without the vast majority.

The government need to get a grip, spend our money PERFECTLY or expect severe consequences later on. The British people cannot continue to accept such bloody poor service from its government, or its many tendrils, and they CERTAINLY cannot accept that sort of thing during a time when the people are under the cosh of a triple dip down turn in our economy.

reply to post by OtherSideOfTheCoin

I posted a response talking about SIS he responded saying that “I don’t know who SIS are” in other words he didn’t know SIS and MI6 are the same thing.

I reckon your inaccurate and obnoxious comment is about to get deleted.

Stop trying to derail threads.

Considering this has now been commented on twice; may I impose upon someone to explain what it is - exactly - that I don't understand? And - as a matter of principle - would it not be easier to explain it, rather than attribute ignorance to the OP?

Or is there some other point topic-wise that is being made here - especially in regards to my contribution?

What agenda do you see me promoting?

Originally posted by Maxmars
Considering this has no been commented on twice; may I impose upon someone to explain what it is - exactly - that I don't understand? And - as a matter of principle - would it not be easier to explain it, rather than attribute ignorance to the OP?

Or is there some other point topic-wise that is being made here - especially in regards to my contribution?

What agenda do you see me promoting?

You understand the story very well. Unfortunately my compatriots on this thread are rude and disrespectful.

It is clear in anybody's language that when a government body tasked with any aspect of state security gets it wrong, it is a catastrophe for the individuals concerned. You know this and you indicated an appropriate reaction to the outrageous incompetence of the CRB.

Furthermore if they get it wrong with innocent people, then logically they get it wrong with guilty people; a twofold disaster.

reply to post by Maxmars

What agenda do you see me promoting?

I don’t know if agenda is the correct word rather you are promoting some kind of spin that this is a erosion of liberty that you attempt to suggest is going to be imposed on Americans with this line

Coming to America soon (I promise)..... you're a criminal.... until and unless YOU prove otherwise....

With this line you have taken a thread that should be about something British and used it as a means to suggest that’s it’s going to be used to erode the liberties of Americans, there is zero proof of this. And I interpret this as you having an agenda to promote the idea that American liberties are being eroded. That might or might not be true but it has nothing to do with the news story you have proposed as a topic of discussion.

Now what I said about you not knowing what you are talking about,

Firstly i do apologise because I know that can sound harsh but there really is no other way of phrasing it.

What I mean is that based on your opening statements you know nothing about CBR checks in the UK, you probably have never had a CRB check in the UK.

When you then go on to use a point about it coming to America soon it just furthers my view that you don’t really quite “get” what CRB is all about. I see it all the time on ATS, people writing about stuff they don’t really know about, I probably do it as well. It’s not usually a problem until people then presume that ignorance is a good base to form an (like you saying this is coming to America) while discounting the other opinions, informed opinions of others.

Originally posted by DoorKnobEddie
reply to post by OtherSideOfTheCoin

 

I posted a response talking about SIS he responded saying that “I don’t know who SIS are” in other words he didn’t know SIS and MI6 are the same thing.

I reckon you inaccurate and obnoxious comment is about to get deleted.

Stop trying to derail threads.

It was not inaccurate, SIS is MI6 and the member (who I won’t name) was not aware of this basic fact yet assumed to have an informed opinion on SIS.

It might seem off-topic, but I don’t think it is what I was doing above was demonstrating something that happens all the time on ATS and appalling it to this thread.

11,000 mistakes over a 5 year period in which millions of CRB applications are filed really is not that bad, its by no means bad but it does not mean that the uk has adopted a judicial system where you are “guilty until proven innocent” and furthermore it does not mean that this mythical judicial system is coming to America soon as the OP states.

reply to post by OtherSideOfTheCoin

Firstly i do apologise because I know that can sound harsh but there really is no other way of phrasing it.

What I mean is that based on your opening statements you know nothing about CBR checks in the UK, you probably have never had a CRB check in the UK.

Good God man! Gerroff your high horse! I don't think anyone needs your apologies especially since you are incapable of civilised debate.

The only reason you have no subtlety and are unable to phrase your opinions in a nonabrasive manner is because you are inarticulate. You confuse rudeness with being forthright.

Furthermore, based on your assumptions of the OP I suggest that you are prejudiced. Just because his life experience, due to his nationality, is different to yours you dismiss his opinions.

You are not harsh at all, you are offensive.

reply to post by OtherSideOfTheCoin

I would echo the sentiments of DoorKnobEddie. A person has a right to an opinion on any matter, from any region, regardless of thier geographical location. This site is populated by people who have a wide world view in the main, and those who do not fit into that demographic are not in a majority here. Wise up some.

Just a gentle request for everyone to stay focused on the original topic and remember to go after the ball, not the player please.

reply to post by DoorKnobEddie


If you find me offensive then I apologise I do not intend to be offensive I just call it like is see it, If I know someone is wrong about something or is lacking incite I will point it out, that may come across as “abrasive”.