Police could delete criminal records after just SIX YEARS

CRIMINALS guilty of certain crimes could have their records with the police deleted after just six years under plans that have come to light.

In a report by the National Police Chiefs’ Council, it is suggested that police services should drop the current rule of keeping conviction details on record until the offender turns 100. Under the new proposals, those found guilty of shoplifting or drug possession would be removed from the Police National Computer (PNC) database after six years.

Crimes that are more serious – such as assault or harassment – would be kept on record for 30 years.

Murderers and rapists would be kept on the database until they turned 120.

The PNC was originally established in 1974, and came under the control of the ACRO criminal records office when it was founded in 2006.

On January 18, Kit Malthouse, Minister for Crime and Policing, said that there were 13 million people recorded on the database.

ACRO provides access to the database not only for police and prosecutors, but regulatory bodies, government agencies and foreign embassies in the UK, it said.

Matthew Scott, a barrister and legal blogger, said it was “unwise” to remove records at a time when there were so many people being prosecuted for historic allegations.