Cookies & Privacy

Privacy Notice

Introduction

The use and disclosure of personal data is governed in the United Kingdom by the Data Protection Act 2018 (the Act). Bedfordshire Police, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Constabularies are part of a strategic alliance which deliver joint capabilities through some collaborations. Under the Act the Chief Constables of Bedfordshire Police, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Constabularies are registered as the data controllers for their respective forces. In the rest of this privacy notice the Chief Constable is referred to as we or us.

This privacy notice explains:

  • how we collect, store, use, disclose, retain and destroy personal data (those activities are also referred to as processing personal data);
  • the steps we take to ensure personal data we process is protected properly; and
  • the rights individuals have when we process their personal data.

This notice applies to the Cambridgeshire Victim Services website and the Victim and Witness Hub.

The Cambridgeshire Victim Services website does not collect any personal data however we gather information about site usage to help the development and improvement of services to the public, and to protect the integrity of our systems from malicious users. Currently this information consists of:

  • information obtained by our content management system to examine what people are searching for, what they find, and occasions where no results are returned, and which does not identify individual users;
  • statistical information obtained using Google Analytics which does not identify individual users (more information about this is in the 'How do we use cookies?' section of this privacy notice);
  • your IP address, used to identify your location if you use any geo-location features on this website, and which we only use to show you relevant content, and which we do not store or share with third parties.

This privacy policy covers all personal information and data received by the Victim and Witness Hub including information obtained when individuals are referred to the Victim and Witness Hub, either through self-referral or referral from the police resulting from being the victim of a crime. This privacy notice covers information collected by letter, email, face to face, telephone, mobile device or online.

The Victim and Witness Hub offers a completely confidential service. Personal details, and / or other information, which could identify you will not be passed on without your consent. However, should we have concerns that there may be a risk of harm, concerns for well-being or welfare to yourself or another, or where we are required by law, we may share information about you without your consent.

This privacy notice does not cover any other services mentioned or listed on the Victim Services Website, please visit the respective website for each individual organisation for their individual privacy notices.

By using our site and engaging with us, you agree to accept this privacy notice. This notice will be reviewed periodically, or when deemed necessary, and therefore we would suggest that you review the latest version each time you submit personal data to us.

What is personal data?

Personal data is any information we handle that relates to an identified or identifiable natural person. An 'identifiable natural person' is anyone who can be identified, directly or indirectly from information, including by reference to a name, identification number, location data, online identifier or to one or more factors specific to the physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural or social identity of that natural person.

Our contact details and data protection officer

Our Information Rights Unit manages our data protection compliance.

We take our data protection responsibilities seriously. We take great care to ensure we process your personal data properly to maintain your trust and confidence. You can contact our Data Protection Officer if you have any questions or concerns about how we process your personal data.

Kevin Sharp Head of Information Management Bedfordshire Police Headquarters Woburn Road Kempston Bedford MK43 9AX

Email: dataprotection@bedfordshire.pnn.police.uk

Why do we process your personal data?

We process your personal information to assist us with the performance of our core statutory functions (including any incidental functions).

Under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the lawful bases we rely on for processing GDPR are as follows:

(a) Your consent. You can withdraw your consent at any time, and can do this by contacting the Victim and Witness Hub at victimandwitnesshub@cambs.police.uk

(b) We have a contractual obligation.

(c) We have a legal obligation.

(d) We have a vital interest.

(e) We need it to perform a public task.

(f) We have a legitimate interest.

Whose personal data do we process?

We process information relating to a range of individuals, including:

  • victims of crime
  • witnesses to crime
  • people convicted of an offence
  • people suspected of committing an offence
  • complainants, correspondents and enquirers
  • advisors, consultants and other professional experts
  • suppliers
  • current and former employees, cadets, agents, temporary and casual workers, and volunteers
  • representatives of individuals in this list, such as parents, other relatives, guardians, and people with power of attorney.

What types of personal data do we process?

We may process personal data relating to or consisting of the following categories:

  • personal details (such as name, address and biographical details)
  • family, lifestyle and social circumstances
  • education and training details
  • racial or ethnic origin
  • political opinions
  • religious or other beliefs of a similar nature
  • trade union membership
  • physical or mental health or condition, both declared and suspected;
  • sexual life
  • offences (including alleged offences)
  • criminal proceedings, outcomes and sentences
  • information identifying user vulnerability, persistent targeting, and/or hate crime status
  • references to manual records or files
  • information relating to health and safety
  • complaint, incident, and accident details

The types of personal data we process will vary depending on the purpose. We aim to process the minimum amount of personal data necessary for the relevant purpose. You should not assume that we hold personal data in all of the categories identified for every person whose personal data we process.

The categories identified may not be complete as occasionally we may gather personal data in other categories for the purposes described.

Where do we get the personal data which we process?

We collect and process personal data, under both statutory and contractual obligation, obtained from a variety of sources, including:

  • individuals who have any contact with the Victim and Witness Hub and their relatives, guardians and other persons associated with them
  • Cambridgeshire Constabulary
  • voluntary sector organisations
  • local authorities, national and local government departments and agencies (including the Home Office, HM Revenue and Customs, and private safeguarding agencies)
  • other law enforcement agencies and bodies (including international ones);
  • partner agencies involved in crime and disorder strategies
  • legal representatives, prosecuting authorities, courts, probation service and prisons
  • licensing authorities
  • approved organisations and people working with the police
  • ombudsmen and regulatory bodies (including the Independent Police Complaints Commission, and His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary)
  • auditors
  • Police and Crime Commissioners
  • emergency services
  • current, past or prospective employers of individuals
  • healthcare, social and welfare advisers or practitioners
  • education, training establishments and examining bodies
  • business associates and other professional advisors
  • our employees, agents, and other temporary and casual works
  • persons making enquiries or complaints
  • financial organisations and advisors, and credit reference agencies
  • survey and research organisations
  • trade, employer associations; and professional bodies
  • the media

What is our lawful basis for processing personal data?

The Victim and Witness Hub offers a support service to people who have been victims of crime. We receive personal details from the Constabulary and referring organisations who have obtained the victim’s consent to do so. Victims can also self-refer.

The Victim and Witness Hub offers a support service to people who have been victims of crime. We receive personal details from the Constabulary and referring organisations who have obtained the victim’s consent to do so. Victims can also self-refer.

When making initial contact with victims and witnesses of crime, we only use personal details to provide our support service to victims of crime and for other closely related purposes. For example, we will use the contact details you provide to contact you and if needed, will use other information you provide to assess your need for support.

The personal information we regularly process is:

  • Your contact details
  • Some information about the offence you were victim of and how that made you feel
  • Information about your individual support needs
  • Referrals to partner and outside agencies
  • Your views on the quality of the service provided by the Victim and Witness Hub.
  • Details of the team member who provided your service

Once you have engaged with our services, you can withdraw your consent at any time and we will delete your information immediately. If you wish to withdraw your consent you can do so by contacting the Victim and Witness Hub by telephone, email or in writing.

Your information may be provided to other organisations in the following situations:

  • If it is identified that you may benefit from specialist support services, we will share your details with them only if you consent to being referred.
  • Emergency services where it is believed that there is a risk of harm, concerns for well-being or welfare to yourself or another
  • When victims call the Victim and Witness Hub, we can offer a translation service for people when English is not their first language, this is provided by a third party

What security measures do we use when processing your personal data?

· We take the security of all personal data under our control seriously.

· We comply with our legal obligations regarding security, relevant parts of the ISO27001 Information Security Standard, and where appropriate the College of Policing Authorised Professional Practice guidance on Information Assurance.

· We ensure that appropriate policy, training, technical and procedural measures are in place, including audit and inspection, to protect our manual and electronic information systems from data loss and misuse.

· We only permit access when there is a legitimate reason and under strict guidelines on what use may be made of any personal data contained within them.

· We continuously manage and enhance our compliance with relevant standards and guidance to achieve adequate and up-to-date personal data security.

What disclosures do we make of your personal data?

We may disclose personal data to a wide variety of recipients in any part of the world (including outside of the United Kingdom and the European Economic Area), including to those from whom we originally obtain personal data. Recipients may include:

  • law enforcement agencies
  • partner agencies working on crime reduction or safeguarding initiatives
  • agencies and other third parties concerned with the safeguarding of and investigation relating to international and domestic national security
  • local authorities, national and local government departments and agencies (including the Home Office, HM Revenue and Customs, the Serious Fraud Office, the Child Maintenance Service, the National Fraud Initiative, and private safeguarding agencies)
  • Police and Crime Commissioners
  • legal representatives, prosecuting authorities, courts, prisons, and other partners in the criminal justice arena
  • victim support service providers
  • bodies or individuals working on our behalf
  • authorities involved in offender management
  • ombudsmen, auditors and regulatory authorities
  • other bodies or individuals where required under any legislation, rule of law, or court order
  • other bodies or individuals where necessary to prevent harm to individuals
  • the media.

We decide on disclosure case-by-case, disclosing only the personal information that is necessary and proportionate to a specific purpose and with appropriate controls and safeguards in place.

If we make disclosures outside of the United Kingdom and the European Economic Area to locations which do not have as extensive data protection laws we ensure that there are appropriate safeguards in place to certify that the personal data disclosed is adequately protected.

How long do we retain your personal data?

We keep your personal data for as long as necessary for the particular purpose or purposes for which we hold it.

If we place any of your personal data on the Police National Computer it will be retained, reviewed and deleted in accordance with agreed national retention periods, which are subject to periodic change.


What are your rights over your personal data we process, and how can you exercise them?

Under the Act you have a number of rights that you can exercise in relation to personal data we process about you. You do not have to pay to exercise your rights (other than a reasonable fee if a request for access is clearly unfounded or excessive but we agree to fulfil it anyway).

We sometimes need to request specific information from you to help us confirm your identity and ensure your authority to exercise the rights.

Right of Access: You can request access to the personal data we hold about you free of charge. Normally we will provide it within one month of receipt of your request unless an exemption applies. You can request access to the personal data which we hold about you via the contact details provided within this privacy notice.

Right to be Informed: You are entitled to be told how we obtain your personal information and how we use, retain, and store it, and who we share it with. This privacy notice gives you that information, as well as telling you what your rights are under the relevant laws.

Right to Rectification: If we hold personal data about you that is inaccurate or incomplete you have the right to ask us to correct it. You can ask us to correct your personal data using the contact details in this privacy notice. We will reply to you within one month unless the request is complex.

Right to Request Erasure: Under certain circumstances you have the right to ask us to delete your personal data to prevent its continued processing where there is no justification for us to retain it. The circumstances most likely to apply are:

  • where holding your personal data is no longer necessary in relation to the purpose for which we originally collected and processed it
  • where you withdraw your consent to us holding your personal data if we are relying on your consent to hold it.

The right of erasure does not apply if we are processing your personal data:

  • to comply with a legal obligation
  • for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority
  • for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims
  • to exercise the right of freedom of expression and information
  • for archiving purposes in the public interest, scientific research, historical research or statistical purposes where erasure is likely to make it impossible to carry out or seriously impair that processing.

If you want to ask us to delete your personal data, you can do so using the contact details in this privacy notice. We will respond to you within one month unless the request is complex.

Right to Restrict Processing: Under certain circumstances you have the right to ask us to restrict the processing of your personal data. This may be in cases where:

  • you are contesting the accuracy your personal data while we are verifying the accuracy
  • your information has been unlawfully processed and you oppose its erasure and have requested a restriction instead
  • where we no longer require your personal data, but you need it to establish, exercise or defend a legal claim and do not want us to delete it.

You can ask us to restrict processing of your personal data using the contact details in this privacy notice.

Right to Data Portability: You have the right to obtain and reuse your personal information for your own purposes, transferring it from one environment to another. This right only applies to personal data provided by an individual, where the processing is based on their consent or for the performance of a contract and when that processing is carried out by automated means. If you wish to discuss this right, you can do so using the contact details in this privacy notice.

Right to Object: You have the right to object to:

  • processing based on legitimate interests or performance of a task in the public interest and or exercise of official authority
  • processing of your information for scientific and historical research and statistics
  • direct marketing.

Any objection must be on grounds relating to your particular situation. If you want to exercise your right to object you can do so using the contact details in this privacy notice.

Rights related to automated decision making and profiling: You have the right not to be subject to a decision when it is based on solely automated processing (including profiling) and which produces a legal effect or similar significant effect on you. This right does not apply if the decision is authorised by law, is necessary for entering into or performance of a contract, or is based on your consent. We are unlikely to carry out automated decision making because our processes involve some type of human interaction and decision-making. Profiling is any form of automated processing of personal data intended to evaluate certain personal aspects about you to predict things about you such as your behaviour, interests, movements or performance at work. We do not currently carry out automated profiling. If you have any questions about automated decision-making or automated profiling you can raise them using the contact details in this privacy notice.

How do we use cookies?

Cookies are used on this website to improve user experience and for essential functionality; they are not used for identification purposes.

How you can complain

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) regulates the processing of personal data. You can complain to the ICO if you are unhappy with how we have processed your personal data.

The Information Commissioner’s Office Wycliffe House Water Lane Wilmslow Cheshire SK9 5AF

Helpline number: 0303 123 1113 Complain on the ICO website

We last updated this privacy notice October 2024.

We keep this privacy policy under regular review and update it when any of the relevant information requires us to do so.


Cookies Notice

The Chief Constable of Cambridgeshire Constabulary (“we”, “our” or “us”) is committed to providing clear and transparent information on the use of cookies and other similar technologies on our website.

This page is about what cookies are, why we use them, the types of cookies that we use and your options for managing data collected by them.

This applies to Cambridgeshire Constabulary and all pages on this website. This notice does not cover and we are not responsible for ‘third party’ websites which may be linked to or accessible through this website. You should review the cookies notice for any other third-party website you use.

For information on how we process your personal data, please see our Privacy Notice.

What are cookies?

Cookies are small files of letters and numbers that are stored on your computer, mobile phone or tablet when you visit a website.

When you visit our website, we use cookies to collect information such as the device and browser you are using, your IP address, the previous website you visited and your browsing behaviour.

Cookies can stay on your device for different periods of time.

Some cookies are called "session cookies". These cookies are temporary and are automatically deleted when you close your browser or when your session ends.

Other cookies are called "persistent cookies" and are stored on your device until you delete them or your browser clears them when the cookie reaches its expiration date.

"First-party cookies" are stored directly on your device by the website you are visiting. We use first-party cookies to remember things like your language settings to improve your experience of using our site and to support some of its basic functions.

"Third-party cookies" are stored on your device by another company or domain when you visit our website, for example service providers, social media platforms, and third-party advertising companies.

These companies can use these cookies and the data they collect to know which sites you visit so they can deliver targeted adverts to you on behalf of their customers.


Please be aware that some content on our website may be provided by a third party who may set their own cookies or other tracking technologies on your device when you visit some of our webpages.

We take the privacy of the visitors to our website very seriously. We will only use cookies in accordance with your preferences and we explain in this notice and our cookies management page the cookies we use and why. Depending on the reasons for why we use certain cookies, we may not use these cookies on all of our webpages.

Cookies we use

We use the following types of cookies and technologies.

Essential

Essential cookies are needed to support the operation of our website. They make the core functionality and important functions like security measures work.

We do not need to ask for your permission to use them.

You may be able to disable them by changing your browser settings. This may affect how the website works and some functions may not work.

Please note: if you accept only "essential cookies" you may still see third party trackers that are enabled by services we use on our website, including Google components like reCAPTCHA.

This is because these services may also use tracking technologies that they have classified as essential.

The following categories of cookies (Functional, Performance and Marketing) will be blocked if you choose to refuse the use of cookies on our website (see the “How to change your preferences” section).

Functional

These cookies are used to recognise you when you return to our website, which enables us to personalise your visit and remember your preferences, for example, your choice of language. Without these cookies, we cannot remember the settings you have previously set or personalise your experience on our website.

Performance

These cookies help us to recognise and count the number of visitors to our website and to understand how visitors use our website so we can improve their experience.

These cookies are also used by us and our service providers to collect analytics and information to compile reports, which helps us to improve and optimise the performance of our website.

Without these cookies, we cannot evaluate the performance of our site or make improvements.

Marketing

We are not currently using marketing cookies.


How to change your preferences

You can restrict, block or delete cookies from our website (and other websites) through your browser.

Every browser is different, and your browser's "Help" function will tell you what to do.

Please note that disabling essential cookies will affect the proper functioning of our website.

Contact us

If you have any questions about this notice or our use of cookies, please contact us via victimandwitnesshub@cambs.police.uk.

Changes to this notice

We may update this notice at any time. When we make changes, we will update the review date below

Date of last review - October 2024