Online recruitment process - your personal information

Through the recruitment process, Essex Police may collect and use personal information about:

• People applying for jobs with Essex Police.
• Their family members or people they live with.
• Their current or previous employers.
• Referees, or anyone who provides a reference for an applicant.

As part of the recruitment process, Essex Police may collect and use different types of personal information, including:

• Basic personal details, such as your name, address and other background information.
• Information about your family, lifestyle and living arrangements.
• Your education and training history.
• Your employment history.
• Financial information.
• Racial or ethnic background.
• Details about your physical or mental health.
• Information about any offences, including allegations.
• Details of criminal proceedings, outcomes or sentences.
• Physical identifiers, such as DNA, fingerprints or other genetic samples.
• Any licences or permits you hold.
• Criminal intelligence information.

As part of the recruitment process, Essex Police collects personal information that applicants provide themselves. We may also gather additional information as the process continues. This can include:

• Credit information from credit reference agencies, which is used during vetting.
• References from the people you name, as well as from your current or previous employers.
• Information about any criminal history (including allegations), which may come from other law‑enforcement agencies or from records already held by Essex Police.

We use the personal information collected during the recruitment process in line with the law. This means we handle all information fairly, lawfully, and only when we have a valid reason to do so.

We work hard to make sure any personal information we use is accurate, relevant, not excessive, and kept up to date. We also protect it properly and make sure it is reviewed, kept only for as long as needed, and securely destroyed when it is no longer required. We always respect people’s rights under the Act.

Essex Police takes the security of all personal information very seriously. We follow the parts of the law that deal with information security, and we work to meet the standards set by the Association of Chief Police Officers’ Community Security Policy and the ISO27001 Information Security Standard.

We have strong policies, training, technical safeguards and clear procedures in place to protect both paper and electronic information from loss or misuse.

Access to information is only given when there is a genuine need for it, and even then it is controlled by strict rules. We regularly review, test and improve our security measures to make sure they stay up to date.

We also use a specialist company, Assessment & Development Consultants Limited of Accolade House, The Guildway, Old Portsmouth Road, Guildford, Surrey, GU3 1LR, to run parts of our recruitment system. We have a data processing contract with them, which means they are legally required to handle personal information only in the way Essex Police has agreed and approved.
This type of contract is required under Paragraphs 11 and 12 of Part II of Schedule I of the Data Protection Act 1998.

To support the recruitment process, Essex Police may share some of the personal information provided by applicants with other police forces and credit reference agencies for vetting checks. We may also share information with people who are providing references for your application.

Any sharing of personal information is done on a case-by-case basis. We only share what is necessary for the specific purpose, and we always apply the right safeguards to protect it.

Essex Police may also share personal information when required by law, including under any Act of Parliament, legal rule, or court order.

In some situations, we work with third‑party organisations to provide education services. If you have given us your personal information as part of the police constable recruitment process, we may share your name, email address and candidate ID with these organisations. This helps them confirm your identity while your application is being processed.

If you have any concerns about how your data is used in this way, you can contact our Business Centre on 01245 452833 or email [email protected].

Essex Police keeps personal information only for as long as it is needed for the purpose it was collected.

If you have registered in our candidate pool, your application will be kept on record for at least twelve months. You can ask for your details to be removed at any time.

If your application is unsuccessful, your information will be kept for up to twelve months and then securely destroyed, unless you have agreed for it to be kept for longer.

If your application is successful, the personal information you provide will become part of your staff record. Essex Police will keep these records for at least seven years after you leave the organisation.

Essex Police may monitor, record and keep telephone calls, texts, emails and other electronic communications to and from the force. This helps us prevent and detect inappropriate or criminal activity, maintain security, and support the purposes described in section 1.

We do not use a pre‑recorded information notice on phone lines that may receive emergency calls (including those made to us by mistake).

This is because any delay in answering an emergency call could increase the risk of harm.

If you need more information about how Essex Police handles personal information, you can contact our Senior Information Officers using the details below:

Telephone: 01245 452647
Email: [email protected]
Mail: Senior Information Officers, Essex Police HQ, PO Box 2, Chelmsford, CM2 6DA
Fax: 01245 452256
Website: www.essex.police.uk

The Information Commissioner is the independent regulator responsible for overseeing data protection law and can provide guidance on your rights and the requirements of the Act. You can contact the Information Commissioner’s Office using the following details:

Mail: The Information Commissioner’s Office,
Wycliffe House,
Wilmslow,
Cheshire,
SK9 5AF
Telephone: 01625 545700
Website: https://ico.org.uk/