Police databases used by Disclosure Scotland: FOI release

Information requested

The exact Police databases which are used by Disclosure Scotland to establish if they hold any information relating to an individual. 

Response

Please find of all of the information you requested.

The answer to your question is:

Criminal History System ('CHS' - the Scottish Criminal Record Database)
CHS convictions and cautions can be disclosed on all levels of Disclosure Applications subject to disclosure periods - and for Higher Level Disclosure Applications only, rules on disclosing certain spent convictions - being applied.

Certain markers can be present on CHS records indicate Police Scotland hold additional non-conviction information on the record owner. Police Scotland will assess the relevancy of this information, and if the chief constable decides it is relevant and ought to be disclosed, it will be disclosed on Higher Level Disclosure Applications only.

This information is referred to as Other Relevant Information ('ORI').

Police National Computer ('PNC' - the UK Criminal Record Database)

PNC convictions and cautions can be disclosed on all levels of Disclosure Applications subject to disclosure periods - and for Higher Level Disclosure Applications only, rules on disclosing certain spent convictions - being applied.

ORI can be disclosed by UK police forces on the basis of Impending Prosecutions on PNC. Although an Impending Prosecution is not a conviction, the police hold information and may decide it is relevant and ought to be disclosed. Again this process applies to Higher Level Disclosure Applications only.

Criminal Record Viewer ('CRV' - the Northern Irish Criminal Record Database)

From this system convictions can be disclosed on all levels of Disclosure Applications, subject to disclosure periods - and for Higher Level Disclosure Applications only, rules on disclosing certain spent convictions - being applied.

Police Local Cross Referencing Database ('PLX' - a UK wide police 'intelligence' Database)
If an applicant is matched to an entry on this system, an enquiry is generated to the force owning the intelligence. If the chief officer of a force deems the information relevant and that it ought to be disclosed, it will be disclosed as ORI.

This process applies to Higher Level Disclosure Applications only.

EU Checks

For Higher Level Applications only, where Disclosure Scotland's criteria is met, a check is processed with ACRO (ACPO Criminal Record Office - an administrative arm of the Non-Scottish UK police forces. ACPO stands for the Association of Chief Police Officers). ACRO then run checks with the relevant foreign authority.

The outcome from an EU Check can result in criminal convictions being added to PNC or disclosed as ORI. It is also possible non-conviction information may be disclosed as ORI.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.