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Click here for news menu Loading... Click here for related articles menu Police staff pay details misplaced by data company WILLIAM TINNING October 04 2008 [discuss_icon_mini.gif] Comment | Read Comments (5) Scotland's largest police force last night revealed that details relating to staff payroll have been misplaced by a data company. Strathclyde Police, which has about 8000 officers, said it was told on Wednesday that data containing the personal details of 49 police officers and staff had gone missing. The force said that the affected members were being contacted directly by e-mail, letter and telephone. advertisement It said there was no evidence to suggest any criminal activity had occurred and blamed the loss on an administrative error on the part of the data service provider. The force also said it appeared that the data had not been mislaid in transit and said it was in a format which would require specialised equipment to access. It said police and the company concerned were making every effort to recover the data. Deputy Chief Constable Neil Richardson said: "We are seeking a full explanation from the company involved and are contacting the staff directly to inform them of the situation and offer help and advice." Les Gray, chairman of Strathclyde Police Federation, said: "We were called to an emergency meeting yesterday where we were told about the missing data. "It appears the company which has the contract misplaced data relating to our staff and sent us data from another employer. "The data includes the salary and registration number of staff. "There is only a very slim chance that it could get into the public domain. "The force has followed all the correct procedures and has done all it could in the circumstances in contacting staff and the relevant departments." Yesterday's development comes less than four months after details of almost one million 999 emergency ambulance calls, including caller numbers and patient names, were lost during a transit of a data disk. Ambulance service executives were later cleared of any blame by Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon, who said they had followed guidelines. An investigation was launched into how the records of 894,629, calls which were made to the Paisley Emergency Medical Dispatch Centre since February 2006, were lost by the courier service TNT. It was both encrypted and password protected. Ms Sturgeon insisted that the incident could not be compared with cases like the loss by Revenue and Customs last year of computer disks with information on millions of people. That data had not been encrypted and included financial information and national insurance numbers. © All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. [go_emailfriend.gif] [go_print.gif] [go_larger.gif] [go_smaller.gif] [space.gif] [discuss_icon.gif] Add Comment Posted by: williamIII, OC on 10:28pm Fri 3 Oct 08 Still it has been lost under the SNP watch. Despite Ms sturgeon protesting I would be very concerned if I was employed with Strathclyde Police. Still it has been lost under the SNP watch. Despite Ms sturgeon protesting I would be very concerned if I was employed with Strathclyde Police. Quote | Report this post Posted by: george alexander, north lanarkshire on 11:02pm Fri 3 Oct 08 The troll label is one that has come to describe those who would seek to destroy the integrity of online threads of discussion. The tactics employed by such online hecklers usually fall into one of three categories: [bold]Abuse or provocation[/bold] Here the trolls post is either an immediate expression of rage or it is rooted in a deep seated loathing of something or someone. The target of the abuse can be anyone, it isnt necessary for the abuse to be logical as the aim is purely to incite and provoke. The provocation can take the form of blaming a politial party for something that is clearly outwith that parties control or accusing members of the same of practices that the troll's [bold]own[/bold] party are clearly guilty of. Whilst it is an understandable desire to react to this kind of trolling it is almost always better to simply ignore it. Casual readers will recognise this kind of trolling immediately and will be unlikely to sympathise with the abusive/provocative posters viewpoint. [bold]The circular argument[/bold] This is a more subtle form of trolling employed as a means of diverting discussion and turning a thread into a nebulous rhetorical emptyness. Here the troll will post the same comment time after time, the same question time after time or a series of questions demanding that other posters engage in debate. However answering the questions will simply result in more of the same until you find yourself effectively where you started having elicited nothing of note from the troll save for unjustified criticisms coupled with continuous demands to answer the same questions time after time. The casual reader may initlally see the trolls questions as having merit, however they will eventually recognise the unwillingness to engage in real debate and exchange honest views. [bold]The pedantic disection and subjective definition[/bold] In this scenario the troll will disect a comment and, whilst ignoring the thrust of the comment, will apply a particularly subjective definition to a word or phrase. Before long a poster can find him/herself trying to convince the troll that the troll is mistaken in their deliberately subjective definition. This debate can run into many, many very lengthy posts leading to the destruction of a thread. The troll will usually have two motives for employing such a debating tactic. The first of course is again to divert the thread and to undermine its integrity. The other is less obvious, it allows the troll to demonstrate his superior intellect and education in other words massaging the trolls ego. Debates of this kind are frequently peppered with snide remarks and very subtle put downs that add to the probability of wrecking the thread with a hope that abuse will follow. This kind of troll will frequently point to abusive responses as a means of demonstrating the intollerance of his critics and how he is victimised. This type of troll is again easy to recognise, examples of this trolling can be found by equating Scottish Nationalism with Nazis, Fascists etc. Trolls of this nature may suggest that Scotland isnt a country. They may also frequently post reams of carefully selected statistics to support one or other stances. The good news is that this kind of troll angers and irritates casual readers just as much as decent regular posters. The troll label is one that has come to describe those who would seek to destroy the integrity of online threads of discussion. The tactics employed by such online hecklers usually fall into one of three categories: Abuse or provocation Here the trolls post is either an immediate expression of rage or it is rooted in a deep seated loathing of something or someone. The target of the abuse can be anyone, it isnt necessary for the abuse to be logical as the aim is purely to incite and provoke. The provocation can take the form of blaming a politial party for something that is clearly outwith that parties control or accusing members of the same of practices that the troll's own party are clearly guilty of. Whilst it is an understandable desire to react to this kind of trolling it is almost always better to simply ignore it. Casual readers will recognise this kind of trolling immediately and will be unlikely to sympathise with the abusive/provocative posters viewpoint. The circular argument This is a more subtle form of trolling employed as a means of diverting discussion and turning a thread into a nebulous rhetorical emptyness. Here the troll will post the same comment time after time, the same question time after time or a series of questions demanding that other posters engage in debate. However answering the questions will simply result in more of the same until you find yourself effectively where you started having elicited nothing of note from the troll save for unjustified criticisms coupled with continuous demands to answer the same questions time after time. The casual reader may initlally see the trolls questions as having merit, however they will eventually recognise the unwillingness to engage in real debate and exchange honest views. The pedantic disection and subjective definition In this scenario the troll will disect a comment and, whilst ignoring the thrust of the comment, will apply a particularly subjective definition to a word or phrase. Before long a poster can find him/herself trying to convince the troll that the troll is mistaken in their deliberately subjective definition. This debate can run into many, many very lengthy posts leading to the destruction of a thread. The troll will usually have two motives for employing such a debating tactic. The first of course is again to divert the thread and to undermine its integrity. The other is less obvious, it allows the troll to demonstrate his superior intellect and education in other words massaging the trolls ego. Debates of this kind are frequently peppered with snide remarks and very subtle put downs that add to the probability of wrecking the thread with a hope that abuse will follow. This kind of troll will frequently point to abusive responses as a means of demonstrating the intollerance of his critics and how he is victimised. This type of troll is again easy to recognise, examples of this trolling can be found by equating Scottish Nationalism with Nazis, Fascists etc. Trolls of this nature may suggest that Scotland isnt a country. They may also frequently post reams of carefully selected statistics to support one or other stances. The good news is that this kind of troll angers and irritates casual readers just as much as decent regular posters. Quote | Report this post Posted by: tris, scotland on 11:09pm Fri 3 Oct 08 When these things happen, is any action ever taken against the person responsible? When these things happen, is any action ever taken against the person responsible? Quote | Report this post Posted by: Big Wullie, http://williambeck.b logspot.com/ on 3:32am today When Jurors Names & Address's can be released by SCCRC the police should not be too bothered by their details being released see: http://williambeck.b logspot.com/2008/08/ sccrc-say-its-ok-to- reveal-jurors-names. html When Jurors Names & Address's can be released by SCCRC the police should not be too bothered by their details being released see: http://williambeck.b logspot.com/2008/08/ sccrc-say-its-ok-to- reveal-jurors-names. html Quote | Report this post Posted by: Big Wullie, http://williambeck.b logspot.com/ on 3:40am today "Crown Precognitions" detailing Postmen who were robbed along with their Names and Address's and medical records have also been released to me and are available on my blog yet Crown Office Tell my MSP, that Crown Precognitions are never recoverable. What a Joke Crown Office are http://williambeck.b logspot.com/ "Crown Precognitions" detailing Postmen who were robbed along with their Names and Address's and medical records have also been released to me and are available on my blog yet Crown Office Tell my MSP, that Crown Precognitions are never recoverable. What a Joke Crown Office are http://williambeck.b logspot.com/ Quote | Report this post Add your comment Please note: to publish your comment you must be registered on this site. If you are already registered, please enter your details below. Not registered? Email: ____________________ Password: ____________________ Login spacer IN YOUR AREA Weather [- please select -] Local News Search [-- please select --...............] Herald Appointments - Every Friday Travel Shop Airport Parking Travel Insurance Copyright © 2008 Newsquest (Herald & Times) Limited. All Rights Reserved Sitemap :: Circulation :: Syndication :: Advertising :: About Us :: Terms of Use