Recruitment privacy notice

1. Purpose of this privacy notice

Staffordshire Police is committed to protecting the privacy and security of candidate’s personal information. This privacy notice explains how we collect and use personal data about candidates during the recruitment process, in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

2. Data Controller

The Chief Constable is responsible, as the Data Controller for the personal information provided by candidates during the recruitment process. Contact details: Staffordshire Police – Recruitment & Onboarding Team Email: [email protected]

3. Information collected and stored

During the Recruitment process we collect and store personal information about candidates as follows:

• Name, address, contact details, National insurance number, date of birth, nationality, residential status, place of birth and country of birth.
• Details of protected characteristics.
• Employment history, qualifications, and education.
• Criminal History (if applicable).
• Business Interests.
• Additional information required under the Data protection act 2018 used to access suitability to join Staffordshire police.
• Right to work documentation and ID verification – supported by TrustID, result and scanned documentation kept by the recruitment team, where manual checks are made these are kept electronically within our Application Tracking System.
• Education, qualifications and relevant training.
• References and background information (where applicable).
• Interview notes and assessment results.
• Any other information candidates choose to provide as part of an application process.

4. How we collect information

We collect personal information directly from candidates as part of the recruitment process. This may include information provided through our online Application Tracking system, using CVs, application forms, and interviews notes. We will also receive information from referees provided by the candidate during the application stage.

5. Purpose for collecting and using personal data

The recruitment team processes candidate’s personal data to:

• Assess skills, qualifications, and suitability for the role.
• Provide any additional support during the recruitment process – Disability, Neuro Diverse to support reasonable adjustments and ensure a fair process for all candidates.
• Communication with the candidate during and with consent, after the recruitment process.
• Comply with legal or regulatory requirements.

The Recruitment Team process candidate’s personal data to manage the recruitment process, meet our legal and compliance obligations, with candidates consent where required.

6. What is the legal basis for processing your personal data?

The Chief Constable of Staffordshire Police may process personal data for the following reasons:

• The performance of a contract with you, in order to assist you with your desire to work with Staffordshire Police;
• To meet a legal obligation, for example to ensure you have the right to live and work in the United Kingdom;
• To allow us to perform our public task of providing a Police Force in the interest of the public.

We may process special category personal data with your explicit consent, provided for instance in regards to your medical records so that we can process your application or use the information to make reasonable adjustments for you if your application is successful.

The Data Controller will comply with data protection law. This says that the personal data we hold about you must be:

• Used lawfully, fairly and in a transparent way;
• Collected only for valid purposes that we have clearly explained to you and not used in any way that is incompatible with those purposes;
• Relevant to the purposes we have told you about and limited only to those purposes;
• Accurate and kept up to date;
• Kept only as long as is necessary for the purposes we have told you about;
• Kept and destroyed securely, including ensuring that appropriate technical and security measures are in place to protect your personal data and to protect personal data from loss, misuse, unauthorised access and disclosure.

7. Who we share your information with

Your data is handled securely within Staffordshire Police for the purposes of recruitment and selection only. Where applicable it may also be shared with internal departments or the College of Policing for monitoring purposes.

8. Data retention

If your application is unsuccessful, we will retain your personal information for 12 months after the end of the recruitment process. This allows us to consider you for future vacancies and to demonstrate fair recruitment practices. After this period, your data will be securely deleted from our Application Tracking System, this is an automated process and managed by Recruitment Senior Managers for compliance and completeness.

Successful candidates personnel files are kept electronically in secure folders with restricted access, files are deleted in line with retention policies.

9. How we protect your data

We use secure systems and Organisational measures to protect your personal data from unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. This includes system access controls to ensure only staff who have a business need to know can access your information, and mandatory staff training on data protection responsibilities.

10. Your data protection rights

A key area of change in the new Data Protection Act relates to individuals’ rights. The law refreshes existing rights by clarifying and extending them and introduces new rights.

However your information rights will be dependent on the reason why the data was collected, how the data was collected and why it is being used.

Further information about your rights can be found on our Privacy notice.

11. International data transfers

Your personal data is not transferred outside the UK or the European Economic Area (EEA).

12. Updates to this notice

We may update this notice from time to time to reflect changes in our recruitment practices or legal obligations. The most recent version will always be available on our website.

Version: January 2026