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This site is a beta, which means it's a work in progress and we'll be adding more to it over the next few weeks. Your feedback helps us make things better, so please let us know what you think.

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I want my data removed from police records

If you're convicted of an offence, we keep a record of your fingerprints and DNA. This is known as your ‘biometric information’. This data or information is kept even if your case is dealt with out of court and ends with a caution, warning or reprimand. 

The Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 amends to the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) lets us keep your biometric information indefinitely. This legislation also states when your data can and will be deleted from our records, including the:

  • Police National Computer (PNC)
  • National Fingerprint Database (IDENT1)
  • National DNA Database (NDNAD)

Getting your data removed

The ACRO Criminal Records Office (ACRO) operates a record deletion service on our behalf. Please check the ACRO website to see if you may be eligible to make an application for having your data deleted. This process also deals with requests to remove certain arrest records or out of court disposals, such as cautions. Court convictions are not eligible for deletion.

ACRO is a national police unit that provides a range of policing-related services for the public, international law enforcement organisations and non-police agencies.

Your enquiries for the removal of data should always go direct to ACRO rather than to us. 

Locally held data

If the data you want to request to be removed is held locally by forces, such as custody photos, you can ask for it to be deleted or changed.