Greater Manchester Police fined for breaching data protection law.

Greater Manchester Police has been fined £150,000 after footage of interviews with victims of violent or sexual crimes got lost in the post.

The un-encrypted DVDs were sent to the National Crime Agency by recorded delivery in 2015 but were never received, and have never been found.

The Information Commissioner's Office says the force breached data protection law.

Assistant Chief Constable Rob Potts said:“The disks were sent in accordance with national guidance for sending sensitive information, however when it became apparent that the disks may have been lost we immediately reviewed our own procedures and as a result postal delivery is no longer used by GMP for sensitive information.

“I think it is important to stress that when the potential loss did become apparent, we worked closely alongside Royal Mail to do everything possible to try to find the disks and immediately informed all those concerned with the video interviews.

“It is key to our work to protect the public that victims feel safe and assured when coming forward to report crime and I want to make it clear that we will continue to do everything in our power to treat any information given to police in the strictest confidence.

“I would continue to urge anybody who has been a victim of crime to come forward to police, we are here to help and we can provide specialised support so you don’t have to suffer in silence.”