Data Protection

The Data Protection Act 1998 came into force on 1 March 2000 and works in two ways. It gives individuals certain rights.

It also states that those who record and use personal information must be open about how the information is used and must follow the eight principles of good information handling.

Anyone processing personal data must comply with the eight enforceable principles of good practice. They say that data must be:

• Processed fairly and lawfully
• Processed for limited purposes
• Adequate, relevant and not excessive
• Accurate and up-to-date
• Not kept longer than necessary
• Processed in accordance with the data subject’s rights
• Secure
• Not transferred to countries outside EEA without adequate protection.

In this section you can find out:

• How to request personal information about yourself
• Find out how Suffolk Constabulary uses personal data
• Get details on how to request information for the purposes of emigration
• How to request information for employment purposes
• Suffolk Constabulary’s most frequently asked questions on Data Protection.