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2. ‘Subject access request’ from the police
• If you’re applying for a job that is not covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, the employer
may carry out a standard or enhanced criminal record check.
• You’re unable to apply for your own standard or enhanced criminal record check in advance.
• However, under the Data Protection Act, you’re able to ask the police for a copy of your criminal record.
This is known as a ‘subject access request’ (SAR).
• There is no charge for this, and the police have up to one calendar month to supply it (although many
do it quite quickly). For more details on how to apply, search for ‘police records’ on hub,unlock.org.uk.
Application form Sample of results
• When you apply for your SAR, you should request to see :
o A copy of national PNC (Police National Computer) records if the criminal record check you
think you’ll end up having to do is a ‘standard’ one. This will show all convictions and cautions
that are held on the PNC.
o A copy of both national PNC, and local police, records if the criminal record check you think
you’ll end up having to do is an ‘enhanced’ one. This will show all convictions and cautions that
are held on the PNC, as well as any information held locally by the police.
• This document should only be used to help you understand your criminal record. If you’re using it to
work out what will be disclosed on a standard or enhanced check, you’ll need to use these results to
work out if anything will be filtered. Local police records might also indicate what might be considered
‘relevant’ by the police force to disclose as ‘police intelligence’
• You should not be required to provide the SAR report to an employer, insurer or other organisation.
That is known as an ‘enforced subject access’ and is a criminal offence.
There are also other ways of finding out about your criminal record, such as a police certificate (used for travel
purposes). For more information, search for ‘ways to find out about your criminal record’ on hub.unlock.org.uk.