The Association of Chief Police Officers, or ACPO, established a Criminal Records Office, or ACRO, in 2006. The aim was for ACRO to better organize the management of criminal records and strengthen the ties between records and biometric data.
ACRO’s main responsibilities include issuing police credentials, international child protection certificates, and responding to subject access requests that include data from the Police National Computer (PNC).
Regardless of the outcome, the PNC keeps both arrest and summons records. The record is held until the individual reaches the age of 100.
The Police and Criminal Evidence Act of 1984 allows for the collection and retention of DNA samples/profiles and fingerprints. The amount of time this biometric data is held is determined by the case’s conviction or result.
An person may request that records from ACRO’s databases be deleted sooner rather than later.
The National DNA Database, National Fingerprint Database, and Police National Computer are three databases operated by England and Wales’ chief officers. It’s important to remember that ACRO is not affiliated with the DBS and has no role in the details revealed on a DBS certificate. The police have a right to reveal such details on an improved DBS certificate, but this is a different procedure from the record deletion process (RDP)
Record Deletion Process
- RDP is the procedure for requesting the deletion of a person’s PNC or biometric information
- Application eligibility is based on a set of criteria; the following is a list of situations in which you are eligible to apply
- You were given a Caution or Conditional Caution as an adult
- You were given a Youth Caution or a Reprimand as a juvenile; you were arrested but not charged or convicted of a minor offence
- You were given a Final Warning as a juvenile
- You were arrested but not charged or convicted of a minor offence
- You were given a Caution or Conditional Caution as an adult; you were given a Youth Caution or a Reprimand as a juvenile
Murder, homicide, shootings, theft, burglary, and sex offenses are among the more than 400 ‘qualifying offenses.’ Minor offenses are those that do not count as ‘qualifying offenses.’
If any of the above apply to you, you are ineligible to apply: you have been convicted in court; you have been given a conditional or unconditional discharge in court; the information held on your arrest history is owned by the Police Service Northern Ireland or Police Scotland; the record is kept for Police Intelligence purposes; the matter for which you were arrested is still under investigation; you were arrested for a crime that is still being investigated; you were arrested for a crime that is still being investigated.
