Privacy Notice - Recruitment
Date of publication – October 2024
Who we are
The Police Service of Scotland is a constabulary established under the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012.
Its headquarters is located at Tulliallan Castle, Kincardine, FK10 4BE, United Kingdom, and you can contact our Data Protection Officer by post at this address, by email at dataprotection@scotland.pnn.police.uk, and by telephone on 101.
About this notice
This notice is to advise you (you are also referred to as the data subject) of how your personal data (information) will be dealt with (processed) by Police Scotland and your rights in relation to the processing. This notice covers information processed for a non-crime purpose.
The Chief Constable of the Police Service of Scotland is the controller of your personal information and decides the purposes for which your personal information will be processed.
Police Scotland can be contacted by telephoning 101.
The tables below provide you with details of:
- why we process your personal information
- what our lawful basis is for processing it
- the information provided by you
- the types of personal information we hold if not provided by you
- the source of the information if not provided by you
- the length of time we will keep your information
- who we will share it with.
In addition to the details below, your information may also be used by Police Scotland for administrative purposes such as system testing, training and audit purposes.
Where this is the case, the processing will be in accordance with the UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018.
Where information has been processed previously for Law Enforcement purposes, any further use will not be incompatible with the original purpose for which the information was processed, and will be authorised by law.
What is personal data?
“Personal data” is information that can identify you, for example name, address, date of birth. It also includes alleged or actual offending information when processed for non-crime purposes.
There is also another type of personal data which is called “special category personal data”.
This is information which relates to racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership, genetic data, biometric data, health data, sex life or sexual orientation.
Why we process your personal information
Processing applications for the appointment of:
Police Constables (with the exception of senior officers) and special constables, Police Staff
Our lawful basis under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) for processing
Public task – Article 6(1)(e)
Obligations in the field of employment– Article 9(2)(b)
Personal and / or special category data provided by the data subject when relevant
Initial Applications
Name, address, date of birth, national insurance number, details of driving licence if held, nationality, residency, employment details, right to work in the UK, photographic identification, and email address.
External business interests / secondary employment
Later stages of recruitment (police constables and special constables only)
Marital / relationship status, physical description, bank details.
Types of personal data when not provided by the person to whom it relates
Next of kin, emergency contact details, dependants’ / relatives’ details.
Business interests of spouse / civil partner / relative / person living with applicant if applicable.
Name, date of birth of business partner.
Referees’ names and contact details. (Special constables only)
Staff Only:
Pre-employment health declaration for applicant when applicant declares a health condition which requires a declaration.
Police constables and special constables only:
Outcome of drug testing on new police officer recruit – pass / fail
Outcome of fitness test i.e. indication of fitness to be a police officer and / or adjustments to be made.
Certified fit to perform the duties of a police officer.
Source of personal data when not provided by the person to whom it relates
Applicant
Drug testing laboratory
Occupational health provider
To ensure provision of a guaranteed interview to, and reasonable adjustments for, candidates who meet essential criteria.
Our lawful basis under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) for processing
Obligations in the field of employment– Article 9(2)(b)
Personal and / or special category data provided by the data subject when relevant
Disabilities
Length of time we keep your information for the above purposes can be found in our Record Retention SOP
Police Constables and Special Constables: (Personnel Recruitment – PER-024 and PER-025)
Staff: (Personnel Recruitment - PER-026 to PER-027)
Diversity Monitoring
Our lawful basis under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) for processing
Legal obligation - Article 6(1)(c)
Explicit Consent - Article 9(2)(a)
Personal and / or special category data provided by the data subject when relevant
Age, gender
Racial / ethnic origin, religious or philosophical beliefs, sexual orientation, health information (disabilities)
Length of time we keep your information Record Retention SOP (Personnel Training, Personnel Recruitment – PER-019 to PER-031)
Organisations or individuals we may share your information with
Scottish Police Authority, Scottish Public Pensions Agency, Occupational health provider, Substance misuse test provider, organisations seeking employment and integrity references, third-party identity and right to work in the UK verification provider.
Your Rights
You have certain rights in relation to how we process your personal information. These are listed below.
Right of access
You can make what is called a subject access request to us. You are entitled to, amongst other things, a copy of the information we hold on you, although there are exceptions to this.
For further information and details on how to make a subject access request please visit the Police Scotland website.
Right to rectification (correction)
We must correct without delay, any personal information we hold on you which is not accurate.
If you think anything is wrong, you should contact us by post or e mail, where possible by completing the form on our website at https://www.scotland.police.uk/access-to-information/data-protection/your-rights telling us what you think is wrong and why. There are exceptions to when we have to correct the information, and you will be advised if we have to apply them.
If it is not possible to establish the accuracy of the personal information, we will restrict how we process it, for example restrict who can see your information, or who we disclose it to.
Right to erasure or restriction of processing
You have a right to request that we delete your personal information, but this will only be done when we are not legally required to keep it.
On occasion it may be more appropriate to restrict how we process it, for example restrict who can see your information, or who we disclose it to.
You can find more information on our website at https://www.scotland.police.uk/access-to-information/data-protection/your-rights
Right to object
You also have the right to object to the processing we carry out, if our legal basis for doing so, (see the ‘Purpose and basis for processing’ table above), is for carrying out a task in the public interest, exercising our lawful duty or we believe it is in our legitimate interests.
You can find more information on our website at https://www.scotland.police.uk/access-to-information/data-protection/your-rights
Right to withdraw consent
Where we process your personal information for a particular purpose on the basis of your consent (see the ‘Purpose and basis for processing information above), you have the right to withdraw your consent. You can inform us of your wish to withdraw consent by contacting the department to which you originally gave the consent, or by telephoning 101.
The relevant personal data will be destroyed on receipt of the withdrawal of consent unless there is an overriding purpose for continued processing.
For more information about any of these rights, go to www.scotland.police.uk/access-to-information/data-protection/your-rights or email information.assurance@scotland.pnn.police.uk.
If we refuse to carry out your requests in full under paragraphs 1 to 5 above, you have the right to ask the Information Commissioner to check whether our decision is correct.
If you are unhappy in any way with how we have dealt with your information, you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner.
The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:
Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Tel: 0303 123 1113 (local rate)
Date of next review of this document – January 2025
