It has been a while since we have updated the recent news section of our site. Since our last update we have had over 50 police cautions and arrest records deleted.

Each case has turned on its own particular facts, and deletion decisions, have been taken across the length and breadth of England and Wales.

Along with these Police National Computer (PNC) deletion decisions we have also also successfully applied for the remove of local police records, challenged disclosures on enhanced DBS certificates, and successfully challenged DBS barring decisions.

Today however was our most successful day yet as we received notice from the police that police cautions had been deleted from the PNC with respect to 5 separate cases.

Each case related to 5 different police forces, and 5 separate sets of facts.

1. Domestic Assault Police Caution Deleted

This caution was deleted with respect to a domestic dispute allegation. There were a number of defects in the police’s case, and the client’s husband (who was the purported victim) supported the deletion.

2. Fraud Police Caution Deleted

This police caution had been issued a number of years ago. Despite the time that had elapsed we were able to piece together the case, and show the police that the police caution was being unfairly retained.

3. Drugs Police Caution Removed

This case related to the possession of class A drugs. The caution had a devastating emotional impact on the client, and despite it being issued several years ago, the client relived their arrest on a daily basis. It was no exaggeration to say the arrest had turned the client’s life upside down. We were able to persuade the police that the caution was unfair and ought to be deleted.

4. Robbery Police Caution Deleted from the PNC

This police caution had been issued a number of years ago, but as it was for robbery, it was permanently disclosable on both a standard and enhanced DBS check. We were able to present evidence that showed the caution ought to be deleted by the police.

5. Sexual Police Offence Caution Expunged

This police caution had been issued recently and related to a relatively serous sexual allegation. The client had been offered the caution on the basis that he was fortunate to avoid prosecution, and thereby a humiliating court case. Despite accepting the caution, his details were nevertheless plastered over the internet, and his employer found out – resulting in the loss of his employment. We reviewed the evidence and concluded there had been some serious errors in the police’s conduct of the case. We prepared extensive and detailed representations. Within a matter of weeks the police had communicated to us that they had deleted the police caution. Now the record is removed from the PNC the client is able to resume work and get back on with his life.

Along with successfully appealing 5 police cautions, we also received notice today that two separate enhanced DBS certificate appeals were successful.

1. Chief Constable Representations for Medical Professional

One case related to the disclosure of a domestic incident that had resulted in no further action being taken. The client was a medical professional and so if the incident was disclosed on the client’s certificate, it would have had a devastating impact.

We made careful and prompt representations to the police, pointing out the factual inconsistencies in the evidence, set against the law related to the disclosure of non-conviction records. The police promptly concluded the incident ought not to be disclosed, and issued a clean DBS check.

2. Enhanced DBS Certificate Appeal for Medical Student

The other matter related to a sibling incident where the client had received a community resolution. The incident was low level, but the police felt the allegation had raised some safeguarding issues. We pulled together detailed representations, setting out why it would be unfair to disclose the community resolution, and the purported facts behind it. After several months of waiting and chasing the police, they finally agreed to remove the information from the certificate.

The client now has a clean enhanced DBS certificate and is  making plans to enroll in medical school.

We have extensive experience in applying for the deletion of police cautions in relation to many different police forces.

Along with applying for the deletion of police cautions, we are also able to assist with the deletion of PNC arrest records, community resolutions, harassment PINs, Penalty Notices for Disorder (PNDs), biometric data (including custody images) and local police records held on the Police National Database (PND).

We can also assist with challenging DBS disclosures on both standard and enhanced DBS certificates. Our lawyers also have extensive experience in challenging DBS barring decisions; both appealing existing barrings, or resisting a new barring application.

We are also able to help if you are being investigated by a regulator including the General Medical Council (GMC), the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), the Health Care Professions Council (HCPC), the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the General Optical Council (GOC), the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT), the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), the General Dental Council (GDC), the General Osteopathic Council (GOsC), Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS), and the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA).

In most cases we offer fixed fees, unfortunately we do not offer legal aid.

Please get in touch to arrange an initial consultation

Our client was issued a police caution for theft. The allegation was a very low level incident of “theft by finding” during a University night out with friends.

The client and his friends had taken an item of property they had thought was discarded. The client had seen the item lying in what appeared to be some rubbish, and had not dishonestly taken it.

The incident was however reported by the police, and the client and his friends were investigated. They were all accused of theft, and due to a fear of being taken to court, the client, and his friends, accepted police cautions.

The client felt he had  denied the allegation, but just agreed to the police caution to escape from the police. He was told the police caution would have no impact on his future.

The client came to learn after the caution was issued that it would cause him serious issues when applying for a Green Card to the Untied States. A caution for theft is considered a conviction for “moral turpitude” and was advised by US attorneys to challenge the police caution.

The caution would be indirectly indefinitely disclosed on an ACRO Police Certificate as a “no live trace” disclosure. A “no live trace” disclosure will tell a foreign nation that the person has a criminal record, and will, for countries such as the USA, China, Saudi Arabia, Canada, and Singapore, precipitate a request for further details about that person’s background.

We obtained the records from the police and were quickly able to prepare a deletion application. We argued that the police caution had been unfairly issued, and that the caution ought to be expunged from the PNC.

The police responded by completely deleting the client’s record from the PNC, and also deleting his DNA and fingerprints.

We have extensive experience in applying for the deletion of police cautions in relation to many different police forces.

Along with applying for the deletion of police cautions, we are also able to assist with the deletion of PNC arrest records, community resolutions, harassment PINs, Penalty Notices for Disorder (PNDs), biometric data (including custody images) and local police records held on the Police National Database (PND).

We can also assist with challenging DBS disclosures on both standard and enhanced DBS certificates. Our lawyers also have extensive experience in challenging DBS barring decisions; both appealing existing barrings, or resisting a new barring application.

We are also able to help if you are being investigated by a regulator including the General Medical Council (GMC), the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), the Health Care Professions Council (HCPC), the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the General Optical Council (GOC), the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT), the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), the General Dental Council (GDC), the General Osteopathic Council (GOsC), Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS), and the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA).

In most cases we offer fixed fees, unfortunately we do not offer legal aid.

Please get in touch to arrange an initial consultation

We have again been able to persuade the police to delete a caution for affray from the client’s Police National Computer (PNC) record.

The client worked in education and so required an enhanced DBS check. As the caution was for affray, it meant that it would forever be disclosed on both a standard and enhanced DBS check.

The caution was holding the client back from progressing in his career, and was finding that promising job offers were being withdrawn once it came to the background check phase of the recruitment process.

The caution had effectively resulted in the client accepting low paying teaching posts, with little prospects for promotion.

After we reviewed the matter we were able to see that the police caution had been wrongly issued. The police had essentially issued a caution for affray where, at the very most, only an allegation of common assault was made out.

We argued that there were no members of the public that could have been caused fear for their safely, and importantly, that the incident had not occurred in a public place.

We prepared out submissions, setting out our findings to the police. Within a few months the police came back to us, stating that they had deleted he caution from the PNC, and the client’s DNA and fingerprints.

Now that the police caution has been deleted, the client’s enhanced DBS check is clear, and he is able to progress his career successfully.

We have had many police cautions deleted over the years. We exclusively deal with criminal records, disciplinary, and DBS cases, and so we have developed extensive experience and knowledge in this niche area of law. We believe we have the most experience in this area of law compared to any other legal practice.

We care about our clients and their cases, and we know the devastating impact a minor criminal record can have on someone’s life.

We have helped hundreds of people clear their records, or challenge DBS certificates, and if there is way to help in your case, we believe we are the best lawyers to help you.

We have recently had a possession of cocaine caution deleted for our client. The client wanted to change profession into a regulated sector and was concerned the caution would cause him some issues in securing a job.

A cocaine caution will be retained on the PNC until a data subject is 100 years of age, it will be disclosed on a standard and enhanced DBS certificate for 6 years (and possibly longer on an DBS enhanced check) and will indefinitely be disclosed on an ACRO Police Certificate via a “No Live Trace” disclosure.

After receiving our client’s instruction, we promptly prepared an application to the police, and successfully persuaded them to remove the client’s caution.

Now that the caution is deleted the client is now clear from the PNC and his DBS Certificate and also his ACRO Police Certificate are clear.

We have had another client’s police caution deleted. The client had been issued a police caution for theft.

The client had been issued an a caution for shoplifting a number of years ago.

The client had forgotten to pay for a small item from a well known shop, being distracted by her young child. On her way out of the shop the client was detained by the security staff. The security staff did not listen to her explanations and the police were summoned.

She was taken to the police station, misled about the impact of the caution, and decided to admit the allegation, and accept the caution in order to escape from police custody.

The client had tormented herself for many years about the caution, regretting her decision to accept it, and felt the caution was an unfair black mark against her name.

On reviewing the police’s evidence, we concluded that there were some material errors in her case, and so we drafted a deletion application to the police.

Within several months the police acknowledged the caution had been unfairly issued, and agreed to the expungement of the client’s record.

The caution was completely deleted, as was the client’s PNC record, fingerprints and DNA records.

The client now has a completely clear record on the PNC and is “no trace” on an ACRO Police Certificate.

We have again had a police caution deleted for a client. The caution had been issued a number of years ago. The police caution was issued for affray.

The client had always felt that the caution had been unfairly issued, and that he had been bullied into accepting it.

We reviewed all the evidence in the client’s case and concluded that the caution had been wrongly issued.

We presented all the evidence we had gathered together and presented this to the police. The police notified us of their decision to delete the police caution within a relativity short period of time.

Now the caution is deleted the client has a clear PNC record, and nothing shows on his enhanced DBS check.

Also his ACRO Police Certificate now says “no trace” .