Data Protection

Introduction

The Data Protection Act 1998 came into force on 1 March 2000. It sets rules for processing personal information and applies to some paper records as well as those held on computers.
The Data Protection Act works in two ways. It gives you certain rights. It also says those who record and use personal information must be open about how the information is used and must follow the eight principles of 'good information handling'.

Principles

Anyone processing personal data must comply with the eight enforceable principles of good practice. They say that data must be:

Processed fairly and lawfully
Processed for limited purposes
Adequate, relevant and not excessive
Accurate and up-to-date
Not kept longer than necessary
Processed in accordance with the data subject's rights
Secure
Not transferred to countries outside EEA without adequate protection

Find Out What Information We Hold About You

The Subject Access provisions of the Data Protection Act gives an individual the right to have a copy of any personal data held on them.

Section 7 of the Data Protection Act 1998 states that a "data subject" (the person about whom the personal data refers) is entitled, upon written request, to be informed whether or not personal data is held or processed about them.

Should you wish to know what information (if any) the Derbyshire Constabulary holds about you, or you would like confirmation that you do, or do not have a prosecution/conviction history, you must complete a subject access form. Payment of a £10.00 fee and proof of identification must accompany a completed application form. Application forms are available from the Data Protection Unit at Police Headquarters (telephone number 0345 123 33 33).

Sometimes the right will not apply. For example, if providing you with the information would be likely to affect the prevention or detection of crime, or the apprehension or prosecution of offenders.

Please note that once we have received your completed application the process to provide you with information can take up to 40 days.

You can now download the subject access form online together with instructions on completing and returning the form.

Visa application for the USA - AUSTRALIA - CANADA - NEW ZEALAND

The ACPO Criminal Records Office (ACRO) have commenced a six month pilot (from 8.2.08) offering Police Certificates to those individuals who are required to have a police check in order to obtain a Visa for Australia, Canada, New Zealand or the United States of America. In such cases, there is no requirement for individuals to request a subject access check in addition to an ACRO Police Certificate. Those wishing to travel to non pilot countries can still request a subject access check via their local police force.

ACRO offer two services; standard and a fast track service designed to cater for those wishing to obtain a Visa quickly. The turnaround time from successful receipt of the application to dispatch of the certificate is ten and two working days respectively. The standard fee is £35 and the fast track fee is £70.

Individuals are only recommended to obtain a Police Certificate if they are travelling to one of the four pilot countries.

For requesting a subject access check for Visa purposes relating to one of the four pilot countries, you should use the ACRO Police Certificate application for which can be accessed via the ACPO website (see below)

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:

Telephone: 0845 6013999 (during their office opening hours of 8:30-16:30, Monday to Friday)
E-mail: acro.policecertificates@acro.pnn.police.uk
Address: ACRO, PO Box 481, Fareham, PO14 9FS
Website: http://www.acpo.police.uk/certificates.asp

For anywhere other than the above you will need to make your request through the Derbyshire Constabulary by completing the below "Subject Access" form and following the instructions within the application form

Download the subject access form (26.9 kB)

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