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Data Protection


Introduction

The Data Protection Act 1998 was brought into force on 1 March 2000 and works in two ways. It gives individuals certain rights. It also says those who record and use personal information must be open about how the information is used and must follow the eight principles of 'good information handling'.


Principles

Anyone processing personal data must comply with the eight enforceable principles of good practice. They say that data must be:

  • Processed fairly and lawfully
  • Processed for limited purposes
  • Adequate, relevant and not excessive
  • Accurate and up-to-date
  • Not kept longer than necessary
  • Processed in accordance with the data subject's rights
  • Secure
  • Not transferred to countries outside the European Economic Area (EEA) without adequate protection
Subject Access (one of the rights of a Data Subject)

The Subject Access provisions of the Data Protection Act gives an individual the right to have a copy of any personal data held about them, subject to certain exemptions

Section 7 of the Data Protection Act 1998 states that a "data subject" (the person about whom the personal data refers) is entitled, upon written request, to be informed whether or not personal data is held or processed about them.

Should you wish to know what information (if any) Gwent Police holds about you, or you would like confirmation that you do, or do not have a prosecution/conviction history, you must complete a Subject Access form. Payment of a £10.00 fee, proof of identification and sufficient information to allow us to locate your personal data must accompany a completed application form. Application forms are available from the:

The Data Protection Unit
Caerleon House,
Block A
Mamhilad Industrial Park
Pontypool
NP44 0XX

Tel: 01495 745365

Or from any main Police Station in Gwent

Or can be downloaded here: Subject Access Form(Eng)    

                                          Subject Access Form (Welsh)         

Completed application forms together with the £10 fee and appropriate identification (please see form for details), can be returned by post or handed into any main Police Station in the Gwent area. We are unable to accept completed forms by email.

Please note that once we have received your completed application, the process to provide you with information can take up to 40 days.