Perception or reality? Data protection legislation as an impediment to law enforcement information sharing, and ways to prevent it

Information sharing is integral to tackling organised crime and terrorism. Academic studies and government inquiries both highlight the failings of law enforcement agencies in this endeavour, regularly citing data protection legislation as an impediment. To explore this issue a thematic analysis of UK law enforcement practitioner interviews (n = 41) together with a quantitative analysis of UK law enforcement data breaches (n = 28,654) was conducted. Results show practitioners identify legislation as a blockage to information sharing, however this is based on a lack of understanding, rather than the failings of the legislation itself. It was also discovered that data breaches generally occur through individual mistakes rather than malicious intent and are not punitively sanctioned by regulators. It suggests leaders at both law enforcement and government level could streamline policy and reduce bureaucracy through simplifying and co-ordinating the implementation processes involved.