What is the Data Protection Act?
The Data Protection Act 2018 gives you the right of access to find out what information is held about you. This is called the Right of Subject Access.
The Act also requires those who record and use personal data to adhere to the Act's principles and be open about how they use it. This last part applies to Gwent Police, which the Act calls a 'Data Controller'.
Personal data
Personal data is defined as any information relating to a living person who can be identified either from the information itself or indirectly by combining the information with other data available to the controller. Personal data includes any opinions and indication of intentions that anyone has expressed about the person.
Your rights
Under the Data Protection Act 2018, you have a statutory right to have access to personal data we hold about you on computer or in a ‘structured manual file’ (on paper).
More information on the Data Protection Act can be found on the website of the Information Commissioner.
A description of all the categories of personal or sensitive personal data that we process, and our reasons why, is available on our Privacy Notice page.
When might my information not be disclosed?
In some circumstances, exemptions apply that prevent us from disclosing information to you. Examples of this are if the information would hinder the prevention and detection of crime or the apprehension and prosecution of offenders. We would also not disclose certain information in the interests of national security.
Meeting our obligations
We take our data protection responsibilities seriously and pay a fee to the Information Commissioner’s Office. Our registration number is Z4886113. We take great care to ensure we process your personal data properly to maintain your trust and confidence.
Likewise, if you feel that a request you have made for personal data hasn’t been dealt with properly, please write to:
Office of the Information Commissioner
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF