While on the Other Hand

More than one million crimes, including murders and rapes, are not on the Police National Computer because Farces are refusing to pay a fee to obtain the criminal history of offenders, a watchdog has warned.

A fifth of all crimes committed before 1995 are not on the national database because police must pay £100 to access each one from microfiche.  It means suspects could have slipped through the net or offenders have been handed softer sentences because the police and courts were unaware of their full criminal past.

The revelation has "profound implications" for public safety and puts Plod operations at risk, the HM Inspectorate of Constabulary warned, and yet employers may be handed the details because bodies doing criminal record checks for employees are not charged.

More on this craziness at TTel.