1. If you require details of Convictions and Cautions please tick the box at section 2(A). These details are often required for emigration purposes.

2. If you require information held on the Police National Computer system, which cover England, Scotland and Wales, please tick the box in Section 2(B).

3. If you are seeking access to other information which may be held about you by the PSNI, please give details in Section 2(C), or contact the Data Protection Unit (address below).

4. Your application must be accompanied by at least two forms of identification. Between them, they should bear a combination of your name, address, and date of birth (eg Driving Licence, Passport, Medical Card, Birth/Adoption Certificate, Bank Statement, or Utility Bill). It is advised that you send photocopies of original documents - PSNI cannot be held accountable for original documents lost in the
post.

5. List any previous addresses that you have lived at.

6. A fee of £10 sterling must be included with your application. You are encouraged to pay by cheque or postal order, as the PSNI cannot be held responsible for cash sent through the post. Cheques and postal orders should be made payable to the PSNI. Postal orders must be UK postal orders. Note: We can only accept cheques/money orders drawn in pound sterling.

7. Failure to supply any of the above items will delay the processing of your application.

8. Forward the completed application with the required documentation to the address shown below. Unfortunately we cannot accept applications by email at this time.

Data Protection Unit
PSNI Headquarters
65 Knock Road
Belfast
BT5 6LE

9. The purpose of the Police National computer is to provide a national facility to the Police Service and other law enforcement agencies, in order to assist with the prevention and detection of crime; the apprehension and prosecution of offenders; the protection of life and property, and the maintenance of law and order. Information may be obtained from a variety of sources for example, members of the public, Police Officers or external agencies and may be disclosed to other agencies only in line with their statutory powers, for example, the Court Service, the Home Office or the Probation Service. The PSNI complies with the requirements for the handling and safekeeping of personal information, as outlined within the Data Protection Act 1998.

10. These notes are only a guide. The law is set out in the Data Protection Act obtainable from OPSI (Office of Public Sector Information) or www.legislation.gov.uk

Please note that the Data Protection Act 1998 only entitles you to your personal data (subject to exemptions).

Your personal Information
You have a right to be told whether any information is held about you and a right to a copy of that information within 40 days (subject to exemptions). It is important to remember that not all personal information is covered and there are ‘exemptions’ within the Act which may allow the PSNI to refuse to comply with your subject access request in certain circumstances. We will not provide personal data if we feel releasing it to you would be likely to prejudice policing purposes, Some of these reasons could include, for example:

• The prevention and detection of crime;
• The apprehension and prosecution of offenders;
• The interests of national security

The PSNI is also not likely to provide you with information that identifies other individuals.

Personal Information about your child
Information about children may be released to a person with parental responsibility. However, the best interests of the child will always be considered.

Even if a child is very young, data about them is still their personal data and does not belong to anyone else. It is the child who has a right of access to the information held about them.

Before responding to a request for information held about a child, the PSNI will consider whether the child is mature enough to understand their rights. If the PSNI is confident that the child can understand their rights, then it will respond to the child rather than the parent. What matters is that the child is able to understand (in broad terms) what it means to make a subject access request and how to interpret the information they receive as a result of doing so.

Applications for Personal Information on someone else's behalf
PSNI can only supply your personal data to you. Should you be making an application on behalf of any other person (third party), please ensure you enclose an original letter of authorisation from that individual the person who the information is about). Please also ensure that this individual has signed the DAT1 form (if submitted) and provided their identification documents.