Police take too much data from victims' phones, says watchdog

Information commissioner says victims and witnesses in England and Wales could be put off reporting crimes

Police are extracting excessive amounts of personal data" from the mobile phones of victims and witnesses during investigations and are in danger of discouraging the public from reporting crime, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has warned.

In a critical study of data extraction policies, the ICO concludes that procedures are inconsistent across forces in England and Wales and calls for a new statutory code of practice to provide greater clarity".