A year ago the Crown Court found me guilty of a crime, but the conviction was quashed on appeal. The police now have my fingerprints and photograph on file. Am I entitled to have these destroyed?
Under the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 most innocent people’s DNA profiles and fingerprints are now deleted from police databases automatically. But some people arrested for serious offences may have their records retained for up to three years and others may have these records retained indefinitely (for repeated 2 year periods) for “national security” reasons. You can apply to the Biometrics Commissioner for the early deletion of your DNA profile and fingerprints.