Police Record Deletion Process Explained

If you are trying to understand the Record Deletion Process, the key point is that it is the national process used to request deletion of certain records held on national police systems in England and Wales.

In practice, that usually means records held on the Police National Computer (PNC), the National DNA Database (NDNAD), and the National Fingerprint Database (IDENT1). In the right case, deletion of a PNC record can also lead to associated custody images being removed.

This article is the broad guide. It explains what the Record Deletion Process covers, what grounds can support a request, what the process does not usually deal with, and how it differs from local police records, DBS disclosure disputes, and caution-specific cases.

The Record Deletion Process is a national police process for asking the police to delete certain PNC, DNA and fingerprint records where proper grounds exist. It does not automatically remove records just because they are old, and it does not usually apply to court convictions or to all locally held police information.

If your issue is specifically about a police caution, you may find these guides more useful first: Can a Police Caution Be Removed From the PNC?, When Can a Police Caution Be Deleted?, and How Long Does a Police Caution Stay on the PNC?.

Police Record Deletion Process Explained

The Record Deletion Process is the national framework used by police forces in England and Wales when considering whether records held on national police systems should be deleted. It is guided by national record deletion guidance and operates through a formal application and decision-making process.

It is often used where someone wants to challenge the continued retention of a PNC record, arrest record, caution, biometric record, or related police data held on national systems. The process is broader than police cautions alone, which is why this page should sit above the caution-specific articles in your wider content structure.

What Is the Record Deletion Process?

The process allows a person to ask the police to delete certain records from national police systems where there are proper grounds to do so. The application is usually made through the national Record Deletion Process forms and is then considered by the police force that owns the record, as set out in the official record deletion guidance.

The current guidance covers records on the PNC, NDNAD and IDENT1. In the right case, if a PNC event is deleted, the associated custody image may also be removed.

The process is not automatic and is not a general “clean slate” scheme. The police will consider whether the facts, the legal basis, and the available evidence justify deletion.

What Records Can Be Deleted?

The broad categories that may be considered under the Record Deletion Process include:

• police cautions, including simple cautions and, in the right circumstances, conditional cautions;
• arrest records, including cases that ended in no further action;
• Penalty Notices for Disorder and other police-administered disposals within scope;
• DNA profiles and fingerprints held on national biometric systems;
• custody images linked to a deleted PNC event.

Different record types raise different issues. A caution case usually turns on whether the caution was the wrong disposal or was not properly administered. An arrest-only case may turn more on suspect status, no crime, false allegation, proven alibi or public interest.

If your issue is specifically caution-related, the caution-only guides linked above will be more precise. If it is specifically about arrest records, your Arrest Record Deletion service page is the better next step.

What Records Cannot Usually Be Deleted?

The Record Deletion Process is not usually the route for deleting a court conviction. That is one of the most important limits to understand at the outset.

Where the record reflects a conviction imposed by a court, the police will usually say that the conviction itself is not something they can simply remove through the Record Deletion Process. That makes conviction cases legally and strategically different from police-administered disposals such as cautions and arrest-only records.

The process also does not generally deal with all locally held police information outside the national systems. Material such as local statements, incident logs, interview records, custody paperwork, CCTV, body-worn video, and other force-held records may require a different challenge route.

What Grounds Can Support Deletion?

The police guidance sets out recognised grounds that can justify deletion. In practice, the main grounds commonly relied on include:

Not every ground will be relevant in every case. For cautions, for example, the strongest arguments often concern incorrect disposal, no proper informed admission, procedural unfairness, or a caution that should not have been issued at all. For arrest-record cases, other grounds may be more central.

The police do not apply a simple criminal or civil burden of proof in the usual court sense. Instead, they make a professional judgment based on the available information and the national guidance.

How the Process Works in Practice

In practical terms, the process usually works like this:

1. an application is prepared identifying the relevant event, the records to be challenged, and the grounds relied on;
2. supporting evidence is gathered, which may include custody documents, chronology, medical evidence, vulnerability evidence, or documents showing the effect of retention and disclosure;
3. the application is considered by the owning force under the national guidance;
4. a written decision is issued;
5. if refused, an internal appeal may be available, and in some cases further complaint or judicial review options may need to be considered.

There is no fee for the police or ACRO part of the Record Deletion Process itself, but the quality of the application matters. A weak application that simply says the record is old or inconvenient is much easier to refuse than one that identifies the correct ground and supports it properly.

What About Local Police Records and the PND?

This is where many people use the wrong process. The Record Deletion Process is about national police systems. It is not the standard route for deleting all information held locally by police forces.

Local police records can include incident logs, statements, custody documents, 999 recordings, body-worn video, CCTV, and intelligence material held outside the PNC. Those records are usually governed by different retention and review frameworks.

Some locally held material may also feed into wider police information systems such as the Police National Database (PND), but that does not mean the Record Deletion Process is automatically the correct or complete route for challenging it.

If your main concern is local force-held data rather than the PNC event itself, see our Local Police Record Deletion service.

What About DBS Disclosure?

Deletion of a PNC record can be highly important for DBS purposes, but the Record Deletion Process and DBS disclosure are not the same issue.

A record may remain on police systems yet no longer be automatically disclosed on a Standard or Enhanced DBS certificate because of the DBS filtering rules.

Equally, a person may have an Enhanced DBS problem caused not only by the PNC entry itself, but also by relevant local police information that the police choose to disclose separately.

That is why the right solution depends on the source of the problem. Sometimes the issue is the underlying PNC record. Sometimes it is local police information. Sometimes it is both.

If the certificate itself has already disclosed unfair information, see our Enhanced DBS Certificate Appeals service.

How Legisia Can Help

Legisia advises on the full range of police record deletion problems, including cautions, arrest records, biometric deletion, local police data, and DBS disclosure issues that arise from retained police information.

We do not treat every case as if it were a caution case, because the right strategy depends on the record type, the disclosure route, and the legal ground available. In some cases the correct approach is a Record Deletion Process application. In others, the better route may be a local-record challenge, a DBS disclosure challenge, or related judicial review work.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the Record Deletion Process cover?

It covers certain records held on national police systems in England and Wales, including relevant PNC records, DNA profiles, fingerprints and, in the right case, related custody images.

Can you use the Record Deletion Process to remove a court conviction?

Usually no. The Record Deletion Process is generally used for police-administered records rather than convictions imposed by a court.

Can an arrest record be deleted even if the case ended in no further action?

Potentially, yes. No further action does not automatically remove the arrest record from national police systems. In the right case, deletion may still be possible under the Record Deletion Process.

Does deleting a PNC record also remove DNA and fingerprints?

Yes, the process covers PNC, DNA and fingerprint records, and linked biometric deletion often needs to be considered as part of the same application.

Does the Record Deletion Process also delete local police records?

Not usually. Locally held police information often requires a different challenge route, even where it relates to the same incident.

Is there a fee for the Record Deletion Process?

No fee is charged for the police or ACRO part of the process itself, but a well-prepared application with the right evidence is still important.