IPCO Annual Report 2018
Error Investigation 12
Police Force
Human or Technical:
Human (Applicant)
Classification:
Transposition (Reporting)
Data Acquired:
Subscriber information relating to an Internet Protocol Address
Resolution
Description:
Police officers seeking to locate a vulnerable person had been supplied
details of an internet address believed to have been used by this person
for recent contact. Internet addresses are made up of eight separate
groups of numbers separated by full stops. In the number taken down
by the officers, no full stops were used. Unable to recontact the
initial caller, the police with the help of the Internet Service Provider
narrowed down the combination to two potential options. The first
result identified a local address that was visited and transpired to
be unconnected. The second result identified a further address 100
miles away in another force area at which the person was located safe
and well.
Consequence:
Police made contact with a person unconnected to their search.
Error Investigation 13
Police Force
Human or Technical:
Human (Special Point of Contact, SPoC/Telecommunications
Operator, TO)
Classification:
Transposition (Verbal)
Data Acquired:
Subscriber information relating to an Internet Protocol
Address Resolution
Description:
Police officers seeking to locate a vulnerable person had been supplied
details of an internet address believed to have been used for recent
contact with the person raising the concern. Following a verbal
authorisation and given the urgency, the Internet Service Provider was
contacted to obtain the customer details. In the verbal transfer a twodigit house number was incorrectly recorded as a single digit house
number. Officers attended this address and established there was no
connection with the vulnerable person. The internet company was recontacted, and the error was identified. Officers returned to the same
street and located the person safe and well.
Consequence:
Contact made with a person unconnected to their search.
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