Your right to information FAQs

1. What is personal information/data?

Personal information or data is information about yourself only.

2. What is "subject access"?

The Data Protection Act 1998 gives you the right to ask in writing whether there is any personal data that the Metropolitan Police Service holds or has processed about you. This is the right of Subject Access.

If personal data is held about you, you can be given a copy of the personal data held and the reasons for this. Please note that certain exemptions may apply that could prevent us disclosing the information to you. Some of these reasons could include, for example:

  • The prevention and detection of crime;
  • The apprehension and prosecution of offenders;
  • The interests of national security

3. Can I use subject access to get hold of someone else's records?

No. The subject access process is confidential between the individual and the police. We cannot provide you with the details of another person.

4. How much does a Data Protection/Subject Access Request Cost?

Each subject access application request costs £10 Sterling.

We accept:

  • Cheques
  • International Bankers draft
  • British postal orders
  • Cash (however payment by cash is not recommended)

At present we are unable to accept online payments or payments by credit card.

Overseas cheques must have a United Kingdom bank clearing facility.

On payment, a receipt will be issued to you.

5. How can I get a "Police clearance certificate" / "Certificate of good conduct" for visa or emigration?

The UK police do not issue "certificates of good conduct" or "police clearance certificates", however in our experience foreign embassies will generally accept a police reply under the subject access provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998 as a suitable equivalent.

Individuals requiring Police Certificates for the purposes of applications for emigration, visas or residency in Australia, Bahamas, Belgium, Canada, Chile, New Zealand, South Africa and the United States of America should download the application form for an ACPO Police Certificate from the ACPO website.

Please note that this Certificate is processed entirely by the ACPO Criminal Records Office (ACRO). All submissions and enquiries relating to this process should be directed to ACRO, who can be contacted through the following routes:

Please do not return this application form to the Metropolitan Police Service

If you DO NOT LIVE or HAVE NEVER LIVED in the London Metropolitan area, please apply to the Police Service that covers the relevant region or area.

6. My employer has asked me to provide a Police Check/Certificate for work purposes. How do I make a request?

The MPS does not provide PNC disclosures for employment vetting services. If you require a disclosure for employment purposes, please contact Disclosure Scotland on: 0870 609 6006 or via their website www.disclosurescotland.co.uk . The current procedure whereby companies require individuals to exercise their rights under Subject Access provisions at section 7 of the Data Protection Act 1998, as a form of vetting, has been considered to be unlawful for many years and is against the spirit of the legislation. When Section 56 of the Act is implemented, it will become a criminal offence for the employer to ask individuals, as a condition of employment, to go through this process.

If you are going to work as a paid employee or as a volunteer for an organisation and your work will bring you into contact with children or vulnerable adults and have been asked to apply for CRB check you must access the Directgov CRB website and follow their procedure.

7. Where can I get a form for access to information, which may be held about me on other Metropolitan Police Systems ?

The MPS Subject Access Request Form – accessing information about yourself held by the MPS.

If you do not live or have never lived in the London Metropolitan area, please apply to the Police Service that covers the relevant region or area.

8. Where do I send my completed form?

Completed application forms can only be returned by post to Public Access Office, PO Box 57192, London, SW6 1SF. Please note your form will not be accepted at your local police station

9. How long will my subject access application take to process?

By law your subject access application must be processed and posted to you within a maximum of 40 days.

To work out when you should receive your information please count 40 days from the date shown on your receipt. Please note that if 40 days has not passed since the date of your receipt we are unable to help you further until the 40 day period has expired.

10. Is it possible to speed up applications?

Under the Data Protection Act 1998 your application will take up to 40 days to process from the date recorded on your receipt.

In the case of information held about you on the Police National Computer (PNC), your application will be passed to ACPO Criminal Records Office (ACRO), who will access the PNC and post the reply to you. Due to the volume of applications that they receive, the ACPO Criminal Records Office cannot expedite or prioritise any applications.

11. How do I get a Criminal Records Bureau enhanced disclosure?

The current legislation does not allow the self-employed or individuals to apply for a CRB check on themselves. In addition, parents who employ a nanny/au pair/baby sitter directly cannot apply for a CRB check; however, if an agency supplies the nanny/au pair/baby sitter, the agency is entitled to carry out a CRB check.

The Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) is an executive agency of the Home Office. By providing wider access to criminal record information, the CRB helps employers in the public, private and voluntary sectors identify candidates who may be unsuitable for certain work, especially that involving contact with children or other vulnerable members of society.

The CRB helps protect the public through its Disclosure service. For further information on this service, visit the CRB Website or telephone the CRB Information Line on 0870 9090811.

The MPS is not responsible for the processing of CRB applications, contact CRB direct for further information on these types of applications.

12. Is subject access the same as vetting?

No. Subject access, which is a right to request access to information held about you by organisations, may only provide a copy of some of the information about you held by the police. We may possess other information that is not available under the Subject Access provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998.

Vetting will normally access all information held by the police on an individual.

13. How can I prove my identity?

To help establish your identity your application must be accompanied by copies of two different official documents which between them provide sufficient information to prove your name, date of birth, current address and signature.

For example: a combination of driving licence, medical card, birth/adoption certificate, passport, utility bill or bank statement.

14. Can I send you photocopies of my identity documents?

Yes, but we reserve the right to request original documentation in some cases. All original documents will be returned by post.

15. How do I get my reply sent to an address, which is different to my ‘Home Address’ on the application form?

This can be arranged, providing you enclose a letter of authority signed by yourself, detailing where you want the reply sent and including relevant dates, if appropriate.

16. How is my form processed?

Once a completed form 3019 has been received it will be checked. If you have submitted original identification documents, these will be returned to you. Photocopies of identification documents will not be returned. You will also receive a receipt for the fee paid.

If your request is for a Police National Computer check the application will then be passed to the ACPO Criminal Records Office, who will post a response to you.

If your request is for information that may be held about you on other Metropolitan Police Systems The MPS Public Access Office will then process your application - carrying out the appropriate checks and will post the response to you.

In all cases this will take up to 40 days from the date recorded on your receipt, as required under the Data Protection Act, 1998.

To work out when you should receive your information please count 40 days from the date shown on your receipt. Please note that if 40 days has not passed since the date of your receipt we are unable to help you further until the 40 day period has expired.

17. Who can I contact for further information?

If you have any further queries about your application please ring the following telephone number.

In the UK: 020 7161 3500 (Monday to Friday, between the hours of 9am and 5pm)
Overseas: +44 20 7161 3500

18. How do I request information for the support of a civil proceeding?

It is unlikely the Subject Access will be an appropriate way to obtain information for individuals considering, or taking, legal action against an individual or organisation. The subject access provisions will provide information that will be redacted to ensure no third party information, or information not deemed to be that of the applicant remains, it may also see information refused via the exemptions in the Act.

In such circumstances the normal legal channels of discovery are generally more appropriate. Under Section 35 of the Data Protection Act 1998 an individual can request information through the order of a court (Court Order).

19. How do I request information in relation to an employment tribunal with the MPS?

It is unlikely the Subject Access will be an appropriate way to obtain information for individuals considering, or taking, an employment tribunal with the MPS. The subject access provisions will provide information that will be redacted to ensure no third party information, or information not deemed to be that of the applicant remains, it may also see information refused via the exemptions in the Act.

Through the employment tribunal process parties are able to request information from each other. The tribunal has the power to give directions or orders on this and other matters relating to the case, which the organisation or claimant must follow.

20. I have just received my police check back from ACRO (ACPO Criminal Records Office) and the information I was sent is wrong what shall I do?

(a) If your complaint is as a result of a subject access request from the ACPO Criminal Records Office please read the following:

If your complaint is regarding a misspelling of your name or address then you need to contact the National Identification Service. Your request must be in writing and sent to ACRO (SAO), PO Box 623, Fareham, PO14 9HR or you can call them on 0845 60 13 999.

(b) If your complaint is regarding a specific offence (i.e. I didn’t commit that offence, the wording is wrong etc). Then you need to write to the Data Protection Unit of the Police Force that dealt with the offence in the first place.

For all offences relating to the Metropolitan Police please write to Data Protection Complaints, PO Box 57192, London, SW6 1SF enclosing a copy of your NIS disclosure and proof of identification.

21. What address should I use to courier my application to you?

If you wish to arrange a courier firm to deliver your subject access application to us you should give your courier this address: MPS Public Access Office, 20th Floor, Empress State Building, Lillie Road, London, SW6 1TR. Please note this address can only receive mail delivered by courier, mail not delivered by courier will be refused.

Your right to information