Report of the Independent Surveillance Review
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61
There has been a significant increase in the volume and sophistication of fraud
offences. The National Fraud Intelligence Bureau make 16,520 referrals to the
Metropolitan Police each year.
3.62
It is often difficult to know the ultimate value of information or data until the final
outcome of an investigation, or to determine the value of communications data in
securing a successful prosecution. There does not appear to be a common view among
law-enforcement agencies on the most appropriate length of time for which data
should be retained; and, indeed, it may vary per agency or type of data. It may also
depend on the nature of the crime – financial-crime investigations, for example, can last
months, if not years.
3.63
During the Panel’s visit to the NCA, officers appeared satisfied with the current limit
of twelve months for data retention. Any longer becomes unnecessary, as there are
diminishing returns on data retained beyond this period; any shorter, however, would be
problematic. Details from Operation Notarise – a substantial operation targeting people
allegedly accessing child abuse images online – were used by the NCA to illustrate this.
After 4,000 requests for communications data to trace who these individuals were, 92
per cent of suspects were identified, ultimately leading to 660 arrests. However, if the
data retention period limit had been less than the current twelve-month period, the
outcome would have been very different:29
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Only 13 per cent of suspects would have been identified had the data-retention
period been three months
Thirty-nine per cent would have been identified had the data-retention period
been six months
Sixty-six per cent would have been identified had the data-retention period
been nine months.
Other Police Capabilities
3.64
There are several units within the Metropolitan Police which focus on specific aspects of
digital policing, including the All Source Hub (ASH), Communications Exploitation Group
(CEG), and Counter Terrorism Internal Referral Unit (CTIRU).
3.65
To respond to the growing use of social media, the Metropolitan Police created ASH
in 2009. The creation of ASH was in response to the need for one platform to analyse
both open-source and police databases. ASH is primarily concerned with threats from
disorder and domestic extremism, though it also undertakes a considerable amount
of work in support of counter-terrorism. ASH has had to respond to the evolving role
of social media in high-profile events. The London Riots of August 2011 were the first
‘social-media event’ for the Metropolitan Police and demonstrated to police across
the country the challenges of monitoring social media. In 2012, ahead of the London
29. ISR visit to the NCA, March 2015.