PNC 'Markers' on Individuals

The request was successful.

Roberto Villeros

Dear Police Service of Northern Ireland,

From information disclosed in previously published FOI requests, there are various types of 'markers' on PNC relating to individuals, for example 'wanted', 'locate and trace', 'missing' etc.

1. Please disclose a complete list of these 'markers' used by your force, together with descriptions of each type
2. Please disclose all guidelines on the use of each of these markers. This may include internal policies, standard operating procedures, practice directions, etc.
3. For example, when would police officers use a 'locate and trace' marker as opposed to a 'wanted' marker?
4. Please disclose all documents relating to the review and cancellation of markers, including review schedules, criteria to be considered when removing or cancelling a marker, etc. If this would depend on other factors such as seriousness of the offence or time passed, please also disclose this information.
5. How is information on PNC markers shared with foreign authorities or police, eg. via PNC itself or via other systems such as Europol and Interpol?
6. Are there any sets of circumstances that would always result in foreign authorities being notified, e.g. if a foreigner has gone missing or is wanted, would an international alert always be issued regardless of the case's specific circumstances or whether the individual is indeed abroad?
7. For the responses to Q5 and Q6, please also elaborate if Brexit has had an impact on this (e.g. would it be that before Brexit, when a European national was missing or wanted in the UK, all EU countries would be alerted, but currently this is no longer the case)

Yours faithfully,

Roberto Villeros

Police Service of Northern Ireland

This e-mail has been marked OFFICIAL [PUBLIC];

12th April 2022

Dear Mr. Villeros,

FREEDOM of INFORMATION ACT 2000

I write in connection with your request for information dated 11th April
2022 which was received by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI)
on 11th April 2022.  I note you seek access to the following information:

PNC 'Markers' on Individuals

This request will be dealt with under the terms of the Freedom of
Information Act 2000. A response should be sent to you within 20 working
days however I would like to advise you that PSNI are currently
experiencing a delay in the processing of requests and we aim to respond
to your request as soon as possible.

If your request is unclear and clarification is required the 20 day
legislative time limit dictated by the Freedom of Information Act 2000
will be stopped until we receive clarification of your request. The ICO
guidance at paragraph 40 of the link below sets out that the clock begins
anew the day after the clarification is received. It states

“If the requester subsequently provides enough detail to enable the
authority to identify and locate the information, then the authority must
respond to the clarified request within a new 20 working day time limit
with the ‘clock’ starting the day after it receives the required
clarification. “

The link for this is:

[1]https://ico.org.uk/media/for-organisatio...

In the event where the cost of complying with the request would exceed the
“appropriate level”, which is fixed at £450, as stated in the Freedom of
Information Regulations 2004, it is the policy of the PSNI to close the
request. You will however be notified of this decision and given an
opportunity to refine and resubmit the request.

If your request requires either full or partial transference to another
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If you have any queries regarding your request please write to the
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If you are dissatisfied in any way with the handling of your request, you
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letter. In the event that you require a review to be undertaken, you can
do so by writing to the Head of Corporate Information Branch, PSNI
Headquarters, 65 Knock Road, Belfast, BT5 6LE or by emailing
[email address]. 

If, following an Internal Review carried out by an independent decision
maker, you remain dissatisfied with the handling of your request, you may
make a complaint to the Information Commissioner’s Office, under Section
50 of the Freedom of Information Act, and ask that they investigate
whether the PSNI has complied with the terms of the Freedom of Information
Act. You can write to the Information Commissioner at ‘Information
Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9
5AF’, or use the ICO self-service portal available at
[2]http://www.ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/o...

In most circumstances, the Information Commissioner will not investigate a
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however, the Commissioner has the option to investigate the matter at
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Yours sincerely,

David

FOI Decision Maker
Corporate Information Branch
PSNI HQ Brooklyn

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References

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1. https://ico.org.uk/media/for-organisatio...
2. http://www.ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/o...

Police Service of Northern Ireland

This e-mail has been marked OFFICIAL [PUBLIC];

Subject: FOI-2022-00929
18th May 2022

 

Dear Mr. Villeros,

FREEDOM of INFORMATION ACT 2000

I write in connection with your request for information dated 11th April
2022 which was received by the Police Service of Northern Ireland on 12th
April 2022 concerning:

PNC 'Markers' on Individuals

I am the Decision Maker currently processing your request and
unfortunately on this occasion the PSNI has been unable to meet this time
limit. To provide an update on your request and whilst I can assure you
that it is being processed, as it is at the preliminary stage ,
unfortunately I am unable to provide a timeframe for the completion of
your request. However if there are going to be any further delays I will
remain in contact with you.

May I apologise for any inconvenience caused and if you have any queries
regarding your request please do not hesitate to contact me via the email
below. When contacting the Corporate Information Branch, please quote the
reference number listed at the beginning of this email.

Your patience in this process is appreciated and again please accept our
apologies for the delay.

 

Kind Regards,

Krystie

FOI Decision Maker
Corporate Information Branch
PSNI HQ Brooklyn

 

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Police Service of Northern Ireland

1 Attachment

This e-mail has been marked OFFICIAL [PUBLIC];

Subject: FOI-2022-00929
9th June 2022

 

Dear Mr. Villeros,

FREEDOM of INFORMATION ACT 2000

I write in connection with your request for information dated 11th April
2022 which was received by the Police Service of Northern Ireland on 12th
April 2022 concerning:

PNC 'Markers' on Individuals

Please find attached response to your request.

 

PSNI apologise for the delay in issuing this response, in addition to any
inconvenience this has caused.

 

Yours sincerely,

Emily

FOI Decision Maker
Corporate Information Branch
PSNI HQ Brooklyn

DDI - 02890901621

 

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