Making a Subject Access Request

Writing a Subject Access Request

There are two ways to submit a request. You can either use:

 

If you decide to use the Metropolitan Police’s form, the following may he helpful in completing it:

After completing the personal information sections, Section 3 asks:

Please specify exactly what information you require (e.g. Crime Report)?

Suggested response:

I require the disclosure of any personal data (including images and image data) that has been gathered or is being held by the National Domestic Extremism Unit (NDEU).  This includes data that has been obtained or retained at the request of the NDEU, or shared with NDEU by regional police forces or other bodies.

If any of my personal data is held by the MPS on databases other than those operated by the NDEU, please also provide this data, specifying

 a) which database(s) my personal data has been entered onto, and

b) whether this data has been accessed by NDEU.

“What happened to cause you to have contact with the police?”

Suggested response

I believe that data is held about me because of my participation in protests and demonstrations.

Under “When did this happen?” I have said:

From [date] until the present date.

The date depends on how far back you wish to check. If you first took part in the student demonstrations in November 2011, for example, perhaps choice ‘January 2011’ at the start date.

“Where did this happen and how was it reported?”

Suggested response

Unknown – the gathering of data most likely took place in [central London / other area as appropriate] but potentially could have happened anywhere in London / other area.

This will depend on your individual circumstances.

 Submitting your Subject Access Request

You need to send a cheque, British postal order or international bankers draft for £10 payable to ‘Mayors Office for Policing and Crime’ and two forms of identification that “provide sufficient information to prove your name, date of birth, current address and signature.” This means a driving licence, medical card, birth/adoption certificate or passport, along with a recent utility bill or bank statement.

A copy of a utility bill is likely to reveal less about you than a bank statement. We strongly advise against sending anything that might reveal your personal connections, such as a telephone bill. If necessary, you can obscure personal information on a bank statement or phone bill such as transactions and phone numbers: as long as your address is visible, this should be fine.

It may also be possible to make a Subject Access request without revealing your address if you are concerned about the police knowing it and can explain why you wish to withhold it, although there is a risk that the request will be rejected. If you wish to pursue a request in these circumstances, please contact Netpol at infor@netpol.org for further advice.

Your letter or the form, along with payment and identification, should be sent by recorded-delivery to:

Metropolitan Police Service
Public Access Office
PO Box 57192
London
SW6 1SF

Don’t forget to keep a copy of your request and your recorded-delivery receipt. If you do not receive confirmation that the Metropolitan Police has received your request within two weeks, ring the Public Access Office on 020 7161 3500020 7161 3500 or email PublicAccessOffice@met.police.uk to find out if your request has gone missing.

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