MORE BRITISH BUNGLING -- RUINING INNOCENT LIVES

Ministers were told a year ago that innocent lives were being ruined by errors in criminal records checks that labelled people as paedophiles and sex offenders. The Home Office refused to apologise yesterday as the scale of the problem at the Criminal Records Bureau became clear, with the admission that 1,500 people had been wrongly branded as criminals in the past two years. The number of such errors since the bureau was set up in 2002 is thought to be closer to 3,000.

The Times has learnt that an independent government-appointed watchdog called last year for improved procedures, including fingerprint checks, to avoid such blunders. Ros Gardner, the independent complaints mediator to the bureau, said in her 2004-05 annual report: "The impact on the receipt of an inaccurate disclosure should not be underestimated. It can result in loss of employment opportunities, perceptions of damage to reputation, financial difficulties and embarrassment. "While I totally support the need for stringent procedures and accept that bureau staff must err on the cautious side, I believe that all measures to ensure accuracy of data on disclosures must be taken."

Ms Gardner, who expressed concern that her office was not widely known to complainants, said wrongly identifying people as offenders would leave the bureau "vulnerable to charges of unfair discrimination against individuals". She added: "The use of fingerprint matching would help to reduce any uncertainty in this area. However, at present there appears to be some reluctance to send individuals for fingerprint matching."

The report revealed that Ms Y, a hospice worker, wrongly identified as having a conviction for indecent assault, had been awarded a four-figure compensation payment. The watchdog said that bureau staff "overlooked contacting the police for a record that would have distinguished Ms Y from the convicted person".

The Home Office said that vetting mistakes were regrettable but claimed that the number of errors was tiny compared with the millions of checks carried out. A spokesman said: "Last year CRB checks prevented 25,000 unsuitable people from gaining such positions, and customer satisfaction is now at an all-time high. We make no apology for erring on the side of caution. We are talking about the protection of children and vulnerable adults."

But Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman, said that the Home Office was reaching new absurd levels of incompetence. David Davis, the Shadow Home Secretary, said: "The refusal of ministers to face up to their own responsibility and to allow this dreadful practice to continue is not just a failure to do their duty, it is a willingness to perpetuate a serial injustice."

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