L78 Response Accepted AI-assessed

PNC Access Auditing

Recommendation

The Police Service should re-examine the rigour of the auditing process and the frequency of the conduct of audits in relation to access to the Police National Computer (PNC). Additional consideration should also be given to the number of people given access to the PNC and the associated rules which govern its usage.

Published Evidence Summary
The following publicly available evidence relates to this recommendation:
The Police Service has strengthened Police National Computer (PNC) access auditing since the Leveson Inquiry, with the College of Policing and individual forces tightening controls. However, the extent and frequency of auditing varies across forces, indicating that systemic improvements have been gradual (Police Service / Home Office, 2025-02-27; Gov.uk, 2012-11-29).
How was this assessed?
Assessed by gemini-2.5-flash on 24 Mar 2026
Checked data held on this site (government responses, progress updates, independent evidence)
External sources searched: www.gov.uk, www.legislation.gov.uk, hansard.parliament.uk
This recommendation requires implementation across many organisations. The assessment reflects central policy response, not adoption in individual organisations.
Jurisdiction
UK-wide
Response
Accepted
Accepted UK Government
29 Nov 2012

The Prime Minister stated on 29 November 2012: "Lord Justice Leveson makes a number of recommendations that are designed to break the perception of an excessively cosy relationship between the press and the police and we support these recommendations." The College of Policing published Authorised Professional Practice on Media Relations in May 2013 implementing the police recommendations. Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/david-cameron-statement-in-response-to-the-leveson-inquiry-report

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Note: PM David Cameron responded to all 92 recommendations with a single statement accepting them "in principle" or "in part". No per-recommendation response was published.
Published Evidence

Published assessments of implementation progress from inspectorates, select committees, official progress reports, and other sources. Check the source type badge to see whether each assessment is independent or government self-reported.

Good Progress
27 Feb 2025
Police Service / Home Office Other

PNC access auditing has been strengthened since Leveson. The College of Policing and individual forces have tightened controls. However the extent and frequency of auditing varies by force and systemic improvements have been gradual.

View detailed findings

PNC auditing has been strengthened but implementation varies across forces.

Police data access controls View Source
Source
Inquiry Leveson Inquiry
Report An Inquiry into the Culture, Practices and Ethics of the Press 29 Nov 2012
View Source
Responsible Bodies
Police Primary
National Police Chiefs Council Primary
Themes & Tags
Police Vetting Inconsistencies Personal data privacy risks auditing Police Pnc Audit Data Security
Recommendation age 13.3 yrs
Last formal update 4863 days ago