I want my data removed from police records

Information held on the Police National Computer

Fingerprints and DNA are called 'biometric information'. 

If you're convicted of an offence (including if your case is dealt with out of court, ending with a caution, warning or reprimand) the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 amends to the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) allow police in England and Wales to keep your biometric information indefinitely. 

The legislation also explains under which circumstances biometric information can and will be deleted from national police systems Police National Computer (PNC), National Fingerprint Database (IDENT1) and the National DNA Database (NDNAD). 

To find out if you have grounds for an application to have biometric information removed from police records, go to the ACRO criminal records office website, where they have a detailed breakdown of the circumstances under which they would consider a request. This process also deals with requests for the removal of arrest records or out of court disposals, eg cautions.

All enquiries of this type must go to ACRO, rather than to us.

Find out more about the retention and deletion of biometric information. 

You can also apply to have information removed from national police records. 

Locally held data

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