Scotland Yard is wrongly jeopardising the future of some young black Londoners because of “serious breaches” in the way that it operates its gangs database, an official watchdog ruled today.

The Information Commissioner, Elizabeth Denham, said flaws in the Met’s “Gangs Matrix” of 3,200 names were so bad that in some cases “Al Capone”-style enforcement tactics were being deployed against people listed on the database solely as victims of crime.

She said information about suspected gang involvement was being inappropriately shared with housing bodies and education authorities as a result, bringing the risk of eviction and other sanctions.

It was also leading to other action including targeting for benefit penalties, extra stop and search, and even parking fines.

She added that the failings and others – including an absence of oversight of the system over many years and a failure to consider the matrix’s potentially discriminatory impact – risked harming community relations and undermining efforts to fight violent crime.

The findings come in a highly critical ruling issued today by the Information Commissioner on the operation of the gangs matrix.

A separate investigation by the Information Commissioner into a leak of information about people on the gangs matrix onto social media – as revealed by the Standard last week – is ongoing.

The database is used by the Met to log those believed to be involved in gang crime and to direct action against them, but has come under fire from campaign groups who argue that it targets “young, black males” disproportionately and inflicts lasting harm on their prospects.

In her ruling today, Ms Denham emphasises that the matrix has a valid purpose and that the nearly 200 gangs operating in London pose a challenge that “cannot be underestimated”.

She warns, however, that the way the database is operated currently breaks data protection laws and the Met’s own rules.

“My investigation revealed serious breaches of data protection laws with the potential to cause damage and distress to the disproportionate number of young, black men on the matrix,” Ms Denham said.

“Ignoring people’s fundamental data rights erodes trust and confidence, which risks alienating the communities the Met serves.”

Today’s ruling, which reveals that 88 per cent of those on the matrix - described as ‘gang nominals’ - are from a black and ethnic minority background.

She says that the breaches include a failure to distinguish clearly between the perpetrators of gang crime and those who are victims, with some included solely because they have been a victim of a gang-related crime, including being stabbed or shot.

Other failings include the “blanket sharing” of information about people on the matrix with “third parties” such as housing and education bodies.

Ms Denham said the result was an “excessive” use of the matrix because the Met “permits enforcement action to be taken across the full range of its ‘Al Capone approach’ measures in respect of all gang nominals”

She added: “Such enforcement action is likely to, and indeed intended to, have a significant adverse impact on the affected individual. Enforcement against all gang nominals, regardless of their risk rating, is excessive processing in the face of the very purpose of having a system of graduated risk.”

Her ruling points that because so many on the matrix are black this brings “obvious potential issues of discrimination and equality of opportunity, as well as issues of fostering good relations”.

Other problems identified include a failure by the Met to carry out any equality assessment of the use of the matrix and a lack of security in the way that the database is stored and shared.

The ruling also discloses that some boroughs keep uncontrolled additional lists of “gang associates”, while on the matrix itself some “data subjects” who should have been removed had not been.

Commentary: Gang matrix runs deeply against data law By Elizabeth Denham, UK Information Commissioner Gang violence is a matter of national concern – but the tools to tackle it must be fair, fit for purpose and above all, trusted by those communities at most risk Violent gang crime in London is a matter of national concern. At a time when children are tragically being murdered on the streets and with nearly 200 gangs operating in London, this is a very real and immediate concern and the challenges faced by the Metropolitan Police Service cannot be underestimated. I have the utmost respect for the officers of the Met who work tirelessly to keep people safe. Gang crime demands a robust response from the police, and as the gangs and their methods evolve, so too do the tools used by the Met to tackle it. But these tools must be fit for purpose and proportionate. The law requires personal data rights to be respected. And that law does not put barriers in place for legitimate law enforcement responses. That is why my office investigated the Met’s Gangs Matrix; a database that records intelligence related to gang members. And what we found ran deep to the fundamental principles of data protection law. Robert Peel, the founder of UK policing, said that for the public to have confidence in the police, the police should also be bound by the law. This includes the law on data protection. We found that, whilst there was a valid purpose for the database, the inconsistent way it was being used across Boroughs failed to comply with data protection laws and the Met’s own rules. The Matrix can be shared with local councils, housing associations, and education authorities. And when shared, simply being on this database could lead to denial of services and other adverse consequences. Data sharing between the police and other public bodies is necessary, but in this case and all cases, that must be done within the law. My investigation revealed serious breaches of data protection laws with the potential to cause damage and distress to the disproportionate number of young, black men on the Matrix. For me it comes back to fairness; how people – both alleged gang members and alleged victims - end up on the matrix, how their personal data is shared, and whether that is done appropriately. What my investigation revealed was serious breaches of data protection laws with the potential to cause damage and distress to those on the matrix. Ignoring people’s fundamental data rights erodes trust and confidence, which risks alienating the communities the Met serves. Building trust with communities to tackle gang crime comes from people knowing that engaging with the police will not have adverse consequences. Knowing that their personal information will not be shared unnecessarily, knowing that their chances of getting housing or a job will not be damaged, and knowing that they have won’t be discriminated against, simply because they’ve included in the Matrix. People must also know that in the ICO they have an effective regulator. And that includes holding police forces to account to make sure that they meet their obligations to use and look after personal data fairly and responsibly. My office has ordered the Met to make significant changes to the ways in which it uses the Matrix to bring it into compliance with data protection law. This includes making sure that the Matrix clearly distinguishes between victims of crime and offenders, which is not always the case at present. The Met must also delete any informal lists being kept of people who no longer meet the criteria for being on the Matrix. And the Met must review how information in the Matrix is shared with other public bodies, to evaluate whether the sharing is necessary and justified, and that any public bodies receiving the Matrix information understand how to properly interpret it. The effects on individuals are serious and far-reaching. My office’s work will not end here. We are launching a separate investigation into how police information about gangs is used by other public bodies, such as local councils. We are already investigating a data breach at Newham Borough Council involving the Matrix. This problem of gang crime cannot be solved overnight or in isolation of the principles of policing and respect for data protection. If people do not have trust and confidence in the police to look after and use their personal data properly in the first place, then their effectiveness at tackling violent crime is at serious risk. I welcome the commitment of the Met to work with us to ensure the Matrix is brought into compliance with data protection law; this is positive and an important step in gaining the support of Londoners to help tackle violent crime on their streets.

Ms Denham adds: “As a result, data subjects are never truly removed from the Gangs Matrix. Their personal data and supposed association is shared with third parties and subject to the general policy of the Met to encourage enforcement against them.”

Today’s ruling concludes with a list of measures that the Met must put in place within six months to comply with the law.

In response, the Met said there was “clear evidence that the gangs matrix can help to reduce offending and serious violence on the streets of London” and that it would continue to use it.

But it said it also accepted the findings of today’s ruling and was “working hard” to address them.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Duncan Ball added: “As well as addressing the concerns within the Information Commissioner’s report, we are also taking forward additional work including the introduction of a website to explain the legal framework for the Gangs Matrix and further information to improve public confidence and transparency.”