Statutory Instrument 2002 No. 233

The Police Act 1997 (Criminal Records) Regulations 2002

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© Crown Copyright 2002

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"the Act" means the Police Act 1997[1];

"reprimand" means a reprimand given to a child or young person in accordance with section 65 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998[2];

"volunteer" means a person engaged in an activity which involves spending time, unpaid (except for travel and other approved out-of-pocket expenses), doing something which aims to benefit some third party other than or in addition to a close relative;

"warning" means a warning given to a child or young person in accordance with section 65 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998.

Application form
     3. The form set out in Schedule 2 to these Regulations, or a form to the like effect, is hereby prescribed for the purposes of sections 113(1)(a) (criminal record certificate), 114(1)(a) (criminal record certificate: Crown employment), 115(1)(a) (enhanced criminal record certificate) and 116(1)(a) (enhanced criminal record certificate: judicial appointment and Crown employment) of the Act.

Fees for criminal record certificates and enhanced criminal record certificates
     4. The fee payable in relation to an application for the issue of a criminal record certificate or an enhanced criminal record certificate is hereby prescribed as £12 save that no fee is payable in relation to an application made by a volunteer.

Relevant matters: prescribed details
     5. The following details of a relevant matter for the purposes of sections 113(3)(a) and 115(6)(a)(i) of the Act (including those provisions as applied by sections 114(3) and 116(3), respectively) are hereby prescribed - 

(a) in the case of a conviction within the meaning of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974[3], including a spent conviction - 


(i) the date of conviction;

(ii) the convicting court;

(iii) the offence; and

(iv) the method of disposal for the offence including details of any order made under Part 2 of the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000[4],



(b) in the case of a caution, reprimand or warning - 



(i) the date of caution, reprimand or warning;

(ii) the place where the caution, reprimand or warning was issued; and

(iii) the offence which the person issued with a caution, reprimand or warning had admitted.

List kept under section 1 of the Protection of Children Act 1999: prescribed details
     6.  - (1) In the case of an applicant included in the list kept under section 1 of the Protection of Children Act 1999[5] the following details are hereby prescribed for the purposes of sections 113(3A)(b) and 115(6A)(b) of the Act[6] - 

(a) the fact that a person with the same name and date of birth as the applicant is included on the list;

(b) whether the person is disqualified from working with children for the purposes of section 35 of the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000;

(c) whether any appeal against inclusion in the list is pending;

(d) whether the inclusion in the list is provisional; and

(e) whether or not the person may not be employed or, as the case may be, should cease to be employed in a childcare position with a childcare organisation in accordance with section 7 of the Protection of Children Act 1999.

    (2) In this regulation "childcare position" and "childcare organisation" have the same meanings as in section 12 of the Protection of Children Act 1999[7].

List kept for the purposes of regulations made under subsection (6) of section 218 of the Education Reform Act 1988: prescribed details
     7.  - (1) In the case of an applicant included in the list kept for the purposes of regulations made under subsection (6) of section 218 of the Education Reform Act 1988[8] the following details are hereby prescribed for the purposes of sections 113(3A)(b) and 115(6A)(b) of the Act - 

(a) the fact that a person with the same name as the applicant is included on the list;

(b) the date of inclusion on the list;

(c) the grounds on which the person is included on the list;

(d) whether the person is disqualified from working with children for the purposes of section 35 of the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000; and

(e) details of any prohibition or restriction on the person's employment including the date of imposition of the prohibition or restriction.

    (2) If the ground on which an applicant is included on the list kept for the purposes of regulations made under subsection (6) of section 218 of the Education Reform Act 1988 is misconduct then any certificate issued shall show details of the misconduct.

List kept by the Secretary of State or the National Assembly for Wales of persons disqualified under section 470 or 471 of the Education Act 1996: prescribed details
     8. In the case of an applicant included in the list kept by the Secretary of State or the National Assembly for Wales of persons disqualified under section 470 or 471 of the Education Act 1996[9] the following details are hereby prescribed for the purposes of sections 113(3A)(b) and 115(6A)(b) of the Act - 

(a) the fact that a person with the same name as the applicant is included on the list;

(b) the date of inclusion on the list;

(c) the grounds upon which the person was disqualified under section 470 or 471 of the Education Act 1996;

(d) brief reasons for the disqualification; and

(e) whether the person is disqualified from working with children for the purposes of section 35 of the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000.

Central records: prescribed details
     9. Information in any form relating to convictions, cautions, reprimands and warnings on a names index held by the Police Information Technology Organisation for the use of constables is hereby prescribed as "central records" for the purposes of section 113(5) of the Act (including that provision as applied by sections 114(3), 115(6) and 116(3)).

Enhanced criminal record certificates: relevant police forces
     10. For the purposes of an application for an enhanced criminal record certificate "relevant police force" means - 

(a) the police force maintained for the police area in England and Wales or Scotland within which the applicant resides or has resided within the period of 5 years preceding the date of the application;

(b) the Police Service of Northern Ireland if the applicant resides or has resided within the period of 5 years preceding the date of the application within Northern Ireland;

(c) such other police force as the chief officer of police of a police force identified as a relevant police force by virtue of paragraphs (a) or (b) above determines;

(d) any police force that the Secretary of State determines to be relevant to the application.

Evidence of identity: fingerprinting
     11.  - (1) Where the Secretary of State requires an application under Part V of the Act to be supported by evidence of identity in the form of fingerprints then the place at which they are to be taken is to be determined in accordance with paragraphs (2) and (3) below and he shall notify the applicant - 

(a) of his requirement; and

(b) of the fact that any fingerprints taken from the applicant and provided to the Secretary of State in pursuance of the requirement may be the subject of a speculative search.

    (2) Any applicant in receipt of such notification shall notify the Secretary of State of whether he wishes to proceed with his application and, if so, notify the Secretary of State - 

(a) that he consents to the taking of his fingerprints; and

(b) of the police station ("the specified police station") that he proposes to attend at for the purposes of having his fingerprints taken.

    (3) The Secretary of State may require the police officer in charge of the specified police station, or any other police station he reasonably determines, to take the applicant's fingerprints at the specified station at such reasonable time as the officer may direct and notify to the applicant.

    (4) Fingerprints taken in connection with an application under Part V of the Act must be destroyed as soon as is practicable after the identity of the applicant is established to the satisfaction of the Secretary of State.

    (5) If fingerprints are destroyed - 

(a) any copies of the fingerprints shall also be destroyed; and

(b) any chief officer of police controlling access to computer data relating to the fingerprints shall make access to the data impossible, as soon as it is practicable to do so.

    (6) Any applicant who asks to be allowed to witness the destruction of his fingerprints or copies of them shall have a right to witness it.

    (7) If - 

(a) paragraph (5)(b) above falls to be complied with; and

(b) the applicant to whose fingerprints the data relates asks for a certificate that it has been complied with,

such a certificate shall be issued to him, not later than the end of the period of three months beginning with the day on which he asks for it, by the responsible chief officer of police or a person authorised by him or on his behalf for the purposes of this regulation.

    (8) In the case of an applicant under the age of 18 years the consent of the applicant's parent or guardian to the taking of the applicant's fingerprints is also required.

    (9) In this regulation - 

"speculative search" has the same meaning as in Part V of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984[10]; and

"responsible chief officer of police" means the chief officer of police in whose area the computer data were put on to the computer.

Fees payable to police authorities for information provided to the Secretary of State
     12. The Secretary of State shall pay to the appropriate police authority the fee shown in Schedule 3 to these Regulations in respect of each request he makes to the chief officer of a police force for the provision of information under section 115 or 116 of the Act.

John Denham [a]
Minister of State

Home Office
7th February 2002

[2] 1998 c. 37.back

[3] 1974 c. 53.back

[4] 2000 c. 43.back

[5] 1999 c. 14.back

[6] Sections 113(3A) and 115(6A) were inserted by section 8(1), (2) of the Protection of Children Act 1999 respectively. Section 113(3A) was amended by sections 102(1), 104(1), (2)(a), 116 and Schedule 4, paragraph 25(1) of the Care Standards Act 2000 (c. 14). Section 115(6A) was amended by sections 102(2), 104(1), (3)(b), 116 and Schedule 4, paragraph 25(b) of the Care Standards Act 2000.back

[7] Section 12 of the Protection of Children Act 1999 was amended by section 74 and Schedule 7, Part II, paragraphs 154 and 158 of the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000 (c. 43).back

[8] 1988 c. 40.back

[9] 1996 c. 56.back

[10] 1984 c. 60.back

Amended to:

John Denham
Minister of State

Home Office
7th February 2002 back