Data Protection and Subject Access
The Data Protection Act 1998 was brought into operation on 1 March 2000 and works in two ways:
- It gives individuals certain rights to know information held by public authorities about themselves.
- It 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'.
Subject to certain exemptions, you have a right to be told whether West Mercia Police holds any information about you (your 'personal data') and a right to be provided with a copy of that personal data within a 40 day period.
Find Out More:
- How to request your personal data
- Requests for information for employment purposes
- Requesting information for the purposes of emigration, visas or residency in Australia, Bahamas, Belgium, Canada, Chile, New Zealand, South Africa and the United States of America
Why Isn't All Information Available?
The Data Protection Act means that in certain circumstances West Mercia Police may decide not to provide you with some personal data. For example, we will not provide personal data if we feel releasing it to you would be likely to prejudice policing purposes, and we may not provide you with information that identifies other individuals.
How Does West Mercia Process The Data It Holds?
West Mercia Police adheres to the principles of good practice laid out in the Data Protection Act. These 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 (European Economic Area) without adequate protection.
For full details, please read our Fair Processing Notice (PDF document).
Further Information
If you have any questions about Data Protection or the Subject Access application process, please contact the Information Compliance Unit at West Mercia Police on: 01905 331565 / 331545.
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