Police Arrest Record Deletion
Make an Enquiry 
Police arrest record deletion lawyers
Have you ever been arrested for a crime you had not committed? Maybe it was a case of mistaken identity, or someone made a false and malicious allegation about you which led to your arrest. Perhaps after some investigation the police concluded that you had not committed the offence or that there was insufficient evidence to charge and took no further action against you. But, you still have an arrest record, and you are worried about how this might affect your future.
Our police arrest record deletion lawyers are here to help. Please get in touch or read on for more information.
How can police arrest records impact me?
Arrest records held on the Police National Computer (PNC) can cause issues in relation to the following:
-
Travel Abroad
Travel Abroad
Some countries require you to apply for a visa to enter their country. For example, America requires those wishing to enter their country to complete an Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) via waiver. If you have been arrested for a crime of “moral turpitude” (a term which covers a broad range of offences), then your visa waiver may be declined, even if the arrest did not result in a conviction.
-
Education and career prospects
Education and career prospects
Some qualifications and professions require you to have an enhanced DBS check. For example, if you wanted to study to become a lawyer, an arrest record for a criminal offence could prevent you from doing so. Maybe you would like to join the armed forces, become a teacher, or study overseas. An arrest record could limit your options and mean that you cannot achieve the career you had always dreamt of.
-
Employment prospects
Employment prospects
An arrest record can sometimes mean that a candidate may not be selected for a particular job role. For example, some job roles require enhanced DBS checks due to the role requiring an increased level of security. Or, you might be applying for a role working with children, or in a position of trust, all of which often require stringent checks.
-
Applications for positions of trust and volunteering
Applications for positions of trust and volunteering
Imagine you want to give back to your local community by volunteering for a worthy charity, but your application is refused due to an arrest record relating to an arrest for a criminal offence that you had not committed. Maybe you want to volunteer at your children’s school or help out at your church. Not only would this rejection be difficult to take, but it would also mean that your opportunity to volunteer may be cut off completely.
Travel Abroad
Some countries require you to apply for a visa to enter their country. For example, America requires those wishing to enter their country to complete an Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) via waiver. If you have been arrested for a crime of “moral turpitude” (a term which covers a broad range of offences), then your visa waiver may be declined, even if the arrest did not result in a conviction.
Education and career prospects
Some qualifications and professions require you to have an enhanced DBS check. For example, if you wanted to study to become a lawyer, an arrest record for a criminal offence could prevent you from doing so. Maybe you would like to join the armed forces, become a teacher, or study overseas. An arrest record could limit your options and mean that you cannot achieve the career you had always dreamt of.
Employment prospects
An arrest record can sometimes mean that a candidate may not be selected for a particular job role. For example, some job roles require enhanced DBS checks due to the role requiring an increased level of security. Or, you might be applying for a role working with children, or in a position of trust, all of which often require stringent checks.
Applications for positions of trust and volunteering
Imagine you want to give back to your local community by volunteering for a worthy charity, but your application is refused due to an arrest record relating to an arrest for a criminal offence that you had not committed. Maybe you want to volunteer at your children’s school or help out at your church. Not only would this rejection be difficult to take, but it would also mean that your opportunity to volunteer may be cut off completely.
How can our lawyers help with arrest record deletion?
Our police arrest record deletion lawyers use their extensive background in criminal defence and false allegation work to act on behalf of clients who wish to apply for their arrest record to be deleted from the police national computer.
The police national computer holds records relating to individuals who have not only been convicted of a criminal offence but also holds records and information about non-conviction outcomes. This means that if you were arrested but not convicted, there will still be a record of your arrest.
Non-conviction information can include information about those who were arrested, charged, but found not guilty after trial (acquitted). It will also show matters that an individual was perhaps charged with but later the charges were discontinued (dropped), and cases where a decision was made to take no further action against an individual.
Other information that is gathered by an individual when they are arrested, including their fingerprints and DNA, is known as their ‘biometric data.’ The police will also have taken a photograph of an individual when brought into police custody, and again that data will be held on the Police National Computer.
If you were arrested for a crime that you did not commit, that is a lot of data being held about you that one could argue should not be held.
There are several grounds upon which our lawyers can apply to the relevant authorities for consideration to be given for an individual’s arrest record to be deleted. We will carefully draft the grounds and gather and submit any supporting evidence. This often requires locating defence witnesses and taking their witness statements. It may also require obtaining a suite of character references as well as other supporting evidence, such as medical and expert reports.
Please get in touch today to discuss how we may be able to help you.
Arrest record deletion lawyers
-
Louise Turner
View Profile
View Profile
Police Arrest Record Deletion FAQs
-
Under what grounds can my police arrest record be deleted?
There are several grounds under which the relevant authorities may consider the deletion of your arrest records. These include:
- Unlawful arrest
- Mistaken identity
- No crime was committed
- Malicious or false allegation
- Proven alibi
- Incorrect disposal
- Suspect status was not clear at the time of arrest
- Judicial recommendation
- Another person was convicted of the offence
- Public interest
-
How do I get my police arrest record?
In the UK, you have a right to see what information the police hold about you through a Data Subject Access Request (DSAR). You can do this by contacting ACRO (Criminal Records Office) which deals with this on behalf of the police.
-
How long does a police record last for?
When applying for a DBS check, the amount of time that a conviction will last on your record depends on several factors, including the conviction and your age at the time.
Typically, if you were over 18 at the time, the record will be removed after 11 years, as long as you didn’t go to prison, have not committed a crime since, and the crime was not related to safeguarding.
If you were under 18 at the time of the offence, you would have been considered a minor, and the record will usually be removed after five and a half years, as long as no further offences have been committed, you didn’t go to prison, and it wasn’t related to safeguarding.
However, records of arrests, even if they did not result in a conviction, can stay on the Police National Computer (PNC) until you are 100 years old. This can cause issues for your professional and personal life. Please get in touch with our arrest record deletion lawyers to see if we can assist you.
Location
Business Hours
Why Setfords?
