Applying
Q. How do I apply for a record deletion?
A. You can apply to have your offence(s) and/or record(s) considered for deletion by using the application guidance and submitting a Record Deletion application form to ACRO.

Q. Am I eligible to apply for my offence(s) and/or record(s) to be deleted?
A. An eligibility table is available within the application guidance, which sets out the eligibility criteria.

Q. How do I submit my application to ACRO?
A. Once you have completed the Record Deletion form you can send your application and accompanying documents via email to; deletions@acro.police.uk or send via post to: Information Management, ACRO, PO Box 481, Fareham, Hampshire, PO14 9FS
**If submitting your application via email, please attach a copy of your electronically completed form. ACRO will not accept photographs of handwritten forms. **

Q. Do I have to pay for a record deletion?
A. No, the process is free of charge as it is a subject right.

Q. What information do I need to provide?
A. A list of the mandatory information can be found in the application guidance.

Q. My application has been returned to me, what does this mean?
A. There is mandatory information missing and/or further information is required to confirm your identity. ACRO will outline what information you need to provide in the correspondence, you will then need to re-submit your application. If you do not provide the requested information within 28 days, your application will be automatically closed. It will be re-opened at the point that the mandatory information has been provided.

Q. I don’t know details of the offences and/or what is held about me on Police National Computer (PNC). What do I do?
A. If you are unsure what information may be held on your record or if there is a record held in respect of you on the PNC then you can submit a Subject Access request. 
 
Q. The information on my PNC record is incorrect.  Can I apply to have it amended under this process? 
A. No. This is not the correct process to address the issue of inaccurate information held about you on your PNC record.  Any issues of this nature are regarded as a data dispute and you need to raise the issue directly with the force concerned. Advice on your Right to Rectification can be found on the Privacy Notice page of the force’s website.

Q. I have several arrest events, can I apply for the removal of all of them on one application? 
A. Yes, please download an Additional Event Form for any further offences you wish to apply to have removed and send this with your application form. If you have various eligible offences owned by different police forces then you MUST submit one application per force.

Response times
Q. When can I expect to receive a response?
A. The NPCC national guidance stipulates a turnaround time of one calendar month. While ACRO aims to work to this timeframe, ACRO only provides the administrative function for this process. Each force has to review all of the information that they hold locally in respect of a person and investigation to assist with the decision making process. As a result, the time taken by a force to decide whether to delete or retain offences and/or records may, in some instances, take longer than one calendar month.
** If you have not provided the mandatory information or if further information is required to establish your identity, then this will delay your application**

Q. I haven’t received a response what do I do?
A. Once your application has been submitted to the requesting force for review, ACRO will actively chase for a response from the requesting force once a month. ACRO will contact you as soon as the response has been received.
We will not respond to chasers because we will be actively seeking updates on outstanding applications from forces on a routine basis.

Responses
Q. How will I receive my response?
A. You will be notified of the outcome by way of a letter via email (where an email address has been provided). If you have elected to receive the outcome via post it will be sent to the address provided on the application form.
 
Q. What type of response could I expect to see?
Responses from ACRO – Not Eligible

Not Eligible reason
 		 What this means
No person record held on PNC You cannot be positively identified on the PNC , therefore there is nothing to be considered for deletion under the Record Deletion Process.
No record of arrest event held on PNC but person record held on PNC.
 		 The arrest detailed in your application cannot be found on your PNC record therefore it cannot be considered under the Record Deletion Process.
Court conviction sought for deletion The offence detailed on your application is a court conviction therefore it cannot be considered under the Record Deletion Process.
Conditional or absolute discharge sought for deletion Not eligible to apply for deletion of PNC.
Foreign conviction sought for deletion Not eligible to apply for deletion and biometrics under the Record Deletion Process. Dealt with under the ACRO International Disputes process.
Confirmed Impending Prosecution The offence detailed on your application is still being investigated by the police.
Police Scotland or Police Service of Northern Ireland owned record sought for deletion Not eligible to apply under Record Deletion Process. Any deletion request for records owned by these forces should submitted directly to them.
Subject of s.63G application approved by Biometrics Commissioner Not eligible to apply for deletion of biometrics and arrest event subject of a s.63G application.
Applicant has not responded to request for ID documents within 28 days Application cancelled.
  
Responses from a Force (Regarding national elements of records – namely PNC, fingerprints and DNA)
Response What this means
Approved – all elements Your PNC record and biometrics are all approved for deletion and no national records remain
Approved – PNC record only deleted Your PNC record was the only national record for consideration under the RDP as your biometrics had already fallen to automatic deletion in accordance with the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 (PoFA).
Approved – Previous event(s) The event(s) subject of your application have been approved for deletion along with the attached biometrics (if applicable) but, your PNC record (and potentially biometrics if applicable) remain due to previous event(s) recorded on your PNC record.
Refused The event(s) subject of your application for deletion have not been approved by the force. Therefore your PNC record and any biometrics, if held, will remain.
Partial approval – Previous events Some, but not all of the events subject of your application have been approved for deletion along with the attached biometrics (if applicable) therefore your PNC record (and potentially biometrics if applicable) remain recorded on PNC in respect of those events not approved for deletion.

 
Please note: Your response will also state the position in respect of whether your custody image is retained or deleted if, you have requested this element to be reviewed for deletion.
The threshold for deleting a custody image differs to that of the national records – further information can be found here under ‘Custody Images’:
Retention, review and disposal | College of Policing

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