Background & Purpose
The police receive huge amounts of information, but current strict rules on how data can be shared between staff often slow down important investigations. The government wants to remove these technical hurdles to help the police work faster.
Proposals & Debate
The government proposed changing the rules for 'jointly accessible' data, which is information shared among a group of employees. They want to expand the 'few-person rule' so that information shared within a specific team is not automatically classified as public within the agency, and they want to reduce the administrative burden of adding mandatory notes to every piece of shared data.
The Decision
The parliament approved the changes, meaning the police will have more freedom to share information internally starting December 1, 2025.
Does this affect you?
- Police intelligence officers: They will be able to access and share critical information more quickly during investigations without getting stuck in administrative red tape.
- Police administrative staff: They will have fewer mandatory documentation requirements when handling internal data, saving time in their daily work.
In Practice
- Police teams will be able to share more information with each other without it being classified as 'jointly accessible' in a way that triggers strict administrative rules.
- The requirement to add specific explanatory notes to shared data will be relaxed, making it easier to manage large flows of information.
- A new general exception rule will be introduced to clarify when the duty to provide extra information about data does not apply.
- The changes will officially take effect on December 1, 2025.