Staffordshire Police

Subject access is a provision under the Data Protection Act 1998, which gives individuals the right of access to personal information held about themselves.

Availability of application forms

Subject access application forms are available here or from main police stations within Staffordshire Police and also from police headquarters by personal visit.

Fees

Application for subject access will cost £10. This is a fixed charge per application. However, there is an option for applicants who send their applications by post to have their identity documents returned by recorded delivery. A separate charge of £2 (for UK addresses) or £4 (for overseas addresses) is applicable.

Procedures

If you require access to specific information held locally on Staffordshire Police information systems - maybe you have reported an incident, been a victim or witness or been arrested and charged for an offence - you are advised to complete part B of Section 2 of the application form giving as much information as possible, in particular, dates and location details.

In many cases you may require access to information held on the Police National Computer (PNC), namely prosecutions/conviction history for the purpose of employment or obtaining a visa (to countries other than those listed below) etc. This is known as a 'vetting' check and you are advised to complete part A of Section 2 only.

If you are considering making a subject access request, you are reminded of the following:

1. if an applicant resides outside the force area of Staffordshire Police you should make the request to the force that covers your home address.
2. as a general rule Staffordshire Police will only accept applications from applicants who have lived in the Staffordshire Police area within the last five years.
3. where a written/telephone request for access is received, application forms will be forwarded to the subject at their home address. The reply will be send directly to their home address.
4. as a general rule, the applicant must provide one or more original forms of identification, which are sufficient to prove their name, date and place of birth, current address and signature. A personal visit to a police station with the relevant documentation and a £10 fee ensures that the ID documents are returned immediately. At this time a receipt for £10 will be issued. In exceptional circumstances, i.e. where a person lives abroad, we will accept certified photocopies of the identity documents.
5. if an applicant lives overseas and wishes their reply to be forwarded directly to a family member in the UK, they must put this request in writing giving clear authority.

Receiving application forms at police stations

Application forms received at police stations or sent to headquarters must be accompanied by original identification documents and the relevant fee. Applicants applying from overseas who may need their original identification documents can, as an alternative, send certified copies of these documents. At the time the form is submitted an official receipt will be issued to the applicant.