Can your fingerprints, DNA or custody image be deleted?

The outcome of your case changes almost everything here, and custody photographs follow a completely different route from fingerprints, DNA and your PNC record — a distinction most people trying to clear their record are never told.

This tool covers England & Wales and Scotland, and they are separate regimes. England & Wales runs on the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012; Scotland runs on the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995. The first question asks where you were dealt with, and each answer shows that jurisdiction’s own quoted law. Northern Ireland is not covered by this site.

Step 1

Where were you arrested or dealt with by the police?

JavaScript is off, so here is the whole tool laid out as a readable list instead of the step-by-step version — open the answer that matches your situation.

Where were you arrested or dealt with by the police?

England or Wales

What happened at the end of your case?

I was convicted (found guilty, or pleaded guilty)

Convicted — no statutory deletion route for this

This page will not tell you otherwise: a conviction for a recordable offence puts you in the one category with no default deletion at all.

What you must do and what you can refuse

Every claim below links to the law it comes from, with the wording quoted so you can check it yourself.

You must

Refusing is a criminal offence.

Allow fingerprints to be taken without consent if you are detained at a police station following arrest for a recordable offence.
This does not require a conviction, or even a charge — arrest and detention for a recordable offence is enough.
Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, s.61(3)(a)
“The fingerprints of a person detained at a police station may be taken without the appropriate consent if— he is detained in consequence of his arrest for a recordable offence”
Read it at legislation.gov.ukquote checked 2026-08-25
Allow a non-intimate sample (e.g. a mouth swab) to be taken without consent on the same basis.
PACE treats fingerprints and non-intimate samples as two separate powers with matching conditions, not one combined power.
Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, s.63(2A)–(2B)
“A non-intimate sample may be taken from a person without the appropriate consent if two conditions are satisfied.— The first is that the person is in police detention in consequence of his arrest for a recordable offence.”
Read it at legislation.gov.ukquote checked 2026-08-25

You can refuse

Saying no is lawful and is not an offence, but it is not always free of consequences: read each item in full.

Withhold consent to being photographed in custody — but the photograph can still be taken without it.
Consent is asked for first as a matter of process, not because refusing prevents the photograph.
Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, s.64A(1)(b)
“if the appropriate consent is withheld or it is not practicable to obtain it, without it.”
Read it at legislation.gov.ukquote checked 2026-08-25

What the law says

What the law provides — the power, who can use it and when, and what follows — quoted from its source. The sections above say what you must do and what you can refuse.

A conviction for a recordable offence means fingerprints and a DNA profile can be retained indefinitely, with no statutory route to deletion described on this page.
Protection of Freedoms Act 2012, s.5 (inserting PACE s.63I(1)(a)(i) and (2))
“relates to a person who is convicted of a recordable offence— The material may be retained indefinitely.”
Read it at legislation.gov.ukquote checked 2026-08-25
Even without a conviction, biometric material taken over an arrest or charge for a qualifying offence can be retained for up to 3 years, and a chief officer can apply to a District Judge to extend that period.
Protection of Freedoms Act 2012, s.3 (inserting PACE s.63F(1)(a), (6)(a) and (7))
“relates to a person who is arrested for, or charged with, a qualifying offence but is not convicted of that offence— the period of 3 years beginning with the date on which the fingerprints were taken— The responsible chief officer of police or a specified chief officer of police may apply to a District Judge (Magistrates’ Courts) for an order extending the retention period.”
Read it at legislation.gov.ukquote checked 2026-08-25

Fingerprints, DNA and custody photographs: what they can keep →What was taken and on what basis, and exactly what retention turns on.

I accepted a caution

You accepted a caution

A caution is a formal admission of guilt, and is a different question from the "never charged / not convicted" route below. This site has sourced what accepting one means for your record and for DBS checks.

Not fully sourced yet: This site has not sourced a specific rule for how a caution affects eligibility to apply for fingerprint or DNA deletion under the national process — that is a different question from what a caution does to your DBS record, covered below. Ask ACRO or a solicitor about your specific situation rather than assuming either way.

What you can refuse

Every claim below links to the law it comes from, with the wording quoted so you can check it yourself.

You can refuse

Saying no is lawful and is not an offence, but it is not always free of consequences: read each item in full.

Decline a caution and ask for the allegation to be dealt with in another way if you do not admit the offence.
A caution legally requires an admission — you should not be pressured into one for something you dispute.
Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, s.8A(2)(b)
“any other caution given to a person in England and Wales in respect of an offence which, at the time the caution is given, that person has admitted”
Read it at legislation.gov.ukquote checked 2026-08-25

What the law says

What the law provides — the power, who can use it and when, and what follows — quoted from its source. The section above says what you can refuse.

A caution can only be given for an offence which, at the time it is given, you have admitted — accepting one is admitting to that offence, not a neutral way of closing the matter.
Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, s.8A(2)(b)
“any other caution given to a person in England and Wales in respect of an offence which, at the time the caution is given, that person has admitted”
Read it at legislation.gov.ukquote checked 2026-08-25
A caution given for an offence within the closed list at Police Act 1997 s.113A(6D) is a “relevant matter” that must be included on a standard criminal record certificate.
Police Act 1997, s.113A(3)(a), (6) and (6D)
“gives the prescribed details of every relevant matter relating to the applicant which is recorded in central records— a caution given in respect of an offence within subsection (6D) where the person was aged 18 or over on the date it was given— The offences referred to in paragraphs (a)(i) and (c) of the definition of “relevant matter” in subsection (6), as it has effect in England and Wales, are as follows”
Read it at legislation.gov.ukquote checked 2026-08-25
Enhanced certificates use the same definition of “relevant matter” as standard certificates, so a caution on that list appears on an enhanced DBS certificate too.
Police Act 1997, s.113B(9), definition cross-reference
““ central records ”, “ exempted question ”, and “ relevant matter ” have the same meaning as in section 113A”
Read it at legislation.gov.ukquote checked 2026-08-25
A caution that has not yet met the separate DBS-disclosure definition of “spent” can still appear on a certificate, even though it is spent for other legal purposes from the moment it was given.
Police Act 1997, s.113A(6), definition of "relevant matter"
“a caution which is not spent for the purposes of Schedule 2 to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974”
Read it at legislation.gov.ukquote checked 2026-08-25

Accepting a caution: what it actually means →Why a caution is an admission, and how it can still surface on a DBS check years later.
Deleting your record: the ACRO process, and what it does not cover →How the national deletion process works, and who actually decides.

Never charged, or charged but not convicted (dropped, acquitted, no further action)

What are you trying to get deleted?

Fingerprints, a DNA profile, or my PNC record

Never charged or not convicted — fingerprints, DNA and your PNC record

The default here runs the other way from a conviction: destruction, unless a specific retention power applies.

What the law says

Every claim below links to the law it comes from, with the wording quoted so you can check it yourself.

What the law provides — the power, who can use it and when, and what follows — quoted from its source.

A court conviction cannot be removed through the Record Deletion Process, whatever the circumstances.
NPCC/ACRO Record Deletion Process guidance (gov.uk), para 1.5.6
“Court convictions are not eligible for record deletion from the PNC under this process.”
Read it at gov.ukquote checked 2026-08-25
Without a successful application, a PNC record is otherwise retained until you would be treated as 100 years old — deletion earlier than that needs a chief officer to exercise discretion after your grounds have been examined and agreed.
NPCC/ACRO Record Deletion Process guidance (gov.uk), para 1.5.5
“Under this Guidance, PNC records are required to be retained until a person is deemed to have reached 100 years of age.— However, Chief Officers can exercise their discretion, in exceptional circumstances, to delete records for which they are responsible”
Read it at gov.ukquote checked 2026-08-25

In any other case, this material must be destroyed unless it is retained under a specific power.
This is the default position once you were not convicted — the exceptions are the 3-year qualifying-offence window and any extension a District Judge grants.
Protection of Freedoms Act 2012, s.1 (inserting PACE s.63D(3))
“In any other case, section 63D material must be destroyed unless it is retained under any power conferred by sections 63E to 63O”
Read it at the sourcequote checked 2026-08-25
ACRO manages record deletion requests as a service to members of the public, acting as the conduit between applicants and the individual force that actually holds the record.
NPCC/ACRO Record Deletion Process guidance (gov.uk), para 4.1.3
“manages record deletion requests as a service to members of the public, and they act as the conduit between applicants and individual police forces.”
Read it at the sourcequote checked 2026-08-25

Deleting your record: the ACRO process, and what it does not cover →How to apply, and the one thing this specific process cannot remove.
Fingerprints, DNA and custody photographs: what they can keep →The 3-year qualifying-offence window and the extension route, in full.

A custody photograph specifically

A custody photograph — held and handled separately

This is the single most-missed distinction people trying to clear their record run into: a custody photograph is not covered by the national deletion process at all.

Applications solely in respect of a custody photograph will not be accepted under the national Record Deletion Process — you need to contact the force directly.
NPCC/ACRO Record Deletion Process guidance (gov.uk), para 1.3.4
“applications which are solely in respect of a custody photograph will not be accepted under this process and if an applicant is seeking the removal of this one element, they will need to contact the force directly.”
Read it at the sourcequote checked 2026-08-25
A Home Office review has proposed giving people who have not been convicted the ability to apply to the chief officer of the relevant force to have their custody image deleted.
Home Office, Custody images: review of their use and retention (gov.uk)
“The review proposes giving individuals the facility (if they have not been convicted) to apply to chief officers of police forces to have their custody image deleted.”
Read it at the sourcequote checked 2026-08-25

Fingerprints, DNA and custody photographs: what they can keep →How custody photographs are taken, and the consent position around them.
Deleting your record: the ACRO process, and what it does not cover →What the national process does cover, for contrast.

Both

Fingerprints/DNA/PNC and a custody photograph — two different routes

Handle these as two separate applications; one process does not cover both.

What the law says

Every claim below links to the law it comes from, with the wording quoted so you can check it yourself.

What the law provides — the power, who can use it and when, and what follows — quoted from its source.

A court conviction cannot be removed through the Record Deletion Process, whatever the circumstances.
NPCC/ACRO Record Deletion Process guidance (gov.uk), para 1.5.6
“Court convictions are not eligible for record deletion from the PNC under this process.”
Read it at gov.ukquote checked 2026-08-25
Without a successful application, a PNC record is otherwise retained until you would be treated as 100 years old — deletion earlier than that needs a chief officer to exercise discretion after your grounds have been examined and agreed.
NPCC/ACRO Record Deletion Process guidance (gov.uk), para 1.5.5
“Under this Guidance, PNC records are required to be retained until a person is deemed to have reached 100 years of age.— However, Chief Officers can exercise their discretion, in exceptional circumstances, to delete records for which they are responsible”
Read it at gov.ukquote checked 2026-08-25

In any other case, this material must be destroyed unless it is retained under a specific power.
Protection of Freedoms Act 2012, s.1 (inserting PACE s.63D(3))
“In any other case, section 63D material must be destroyed unless it is retained under any power conferred by sections 63E to 63O”
Read it at the sourcequote checked 2026-08-25
Applications solely in respect of a custody photograph will not be accepted under the national Record Deletion Process — you need to contact the force directly for that part.
NPCC/ACRO Record Deletion Process guidance (gov.uk), para 1.3.4
“applications which are solely in respect of a custody photograph will not be accepted under this process and if an applicant is seeking the removal of this one element, they will need to contact the force directly.”
Read it at the sourcequote checked 2026-08-25

Deleting your record: the ACRO process, and what it does not cover →The national process for fingerprints, DNA and PNC entries.
Fingerprints, DNA and custody photographs: what they can keep →The separate, local route for a custody photograph.

Scotland

What happened at the end of your case?

I was convicted (found guilty, or pleaded guilty)

Convicted in Scotland — this site has not sourced a deletion route

Section 18(3) of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995 — the destruction default described below — sets out no duty to destroy anything once your case ends in a conviction. This site has not found, and does not assert, any other statutory route for that.

Not fully sourced yet: This site has not sourced a specific retention period, or any statutory deletion route, for fingerprints, DNA or samples taken from someone convicted of a recordable offence in Scotland. Do not assume either that they are kept indefinitely or that they are destroyed — ask Police Scotland or a solicitor about your specific situation.

What you must do

Every claim below links to the law it comes from, with the wording quoted so you can check it yourself.

You must

Refusing is a criminal offence.

Comply with a requirement to provide relevant physical data (such as fingerprints) once you are arrested and in custody.
The statute states this as a duty on the person required to provide it, not a request.
Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995, s.18(2)
“the person so required shall comply with that requirement”
Read it at legislation.gov.ukquote checked 2026-08-31

What the law says

What the law provides — the power, who can use it and when, and what follows — quoted from its source. The section above says what you must do.

A constable of at least inspector rank can authorise a bodily sample (for example by swabbing or rubbing an external part of the body) to be taken from you without a separate consent step described in this provision.
Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995, s.18(6)
“A constable may, with the authority of an officer of a rank no lower than inspector, take from the person—from an external part of the body, by means of swabbing or rubbing, a sample of blood or other body fluid, of body tissue or of other material”
Read it at legislation.gov.ukquote checked 2026-08-31
A mouth swab for a saliva sample can be taken by a constable, or by a police custody and security officer directed by one, on the same basis.
Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995, s.18(6A)
“A constable, or at a constable's direction a police custody and security officer, may take from the inside of the person's mouth, by means of swabbing, a sample of saliva or other material.”
Read it at legislation.gov.ukquote checked 2026-08-31
If your case ends in conviction, section 18(3) sets out no duty to destroy your relevant physical data or samples — that destruction duty applies only where proceedings are not brought or end other than with a conviction.
This page does not describe a statutory route to delete that material after a conviction.
Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995, s.18(3)
“shall be destroyed as soon as possible following a decision not to institute criminal proceedings against the person or on the conclusion of such proceedings otherwise than with a conviction”
Read it at legislation.gov.ukquote checked 2026-08-31
If your case involved a relevant sexual or violent offence and ended without a conviction, your material can be retained for up to 3 years rather than destroyed promptly.
Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995, s.18A(3)-(4)(a)
“the relevant physical data, sample or information derived from a sample shall be destroyed no later than the destruction date—the date of expiry of the period of 3 years following the conclusion of the proceedings”
Read it at legislation.gov.ukquote checked 2026-08-31
The chief constable can apply to a sheriff to extend that 3-year retention period.
It is the police who have to actively apply and justify the extension to a sheriff — not you who has to apply to have the default date brought forward.
Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995, s.18A(5)
“On a summary application made by the chief constable of the Police Service of Scotland within the period of 3 months before the destruction date the sheriff may, if satisfied that there are reasonable grounds for doing so, make an order amending, or further amending, the destruction date.”
Read it at legislation.gov.ukquote checked 2026-08-31
Each extension a sheriff grants is capped at a further 2 years beyond the previous destruction date — it is not an open-ended power.
Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995, s.18A(7)
“An order under subsection (5) above shall not specify a destruction date more than 2 years later than the previous destruction date.”
Read it at legislation.gov.ukquote checked 2026-08-31

Fingerprints, DNA and other samples in Scotland: what happens to them →The full account of section 18, and what it does and does not say about a conviction.

Never prosecuted, the case was dropped, or I was found not guilty

Not convicted in Scotland — destruction is the default

This is the Duty Map from this site’s page on fingerprints, DNA and samples in Scotland. Section 18(3) of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995 is the rule that applies when a case ends without a conviction — see the destruction default below.

What you must do

Every claim below links to the law it comes from, with the wording quoted so you can check it yourself.

You must

Refusing is a criminal offence.

Comply with a requirement to provide relevant physical data (such as fingerprints) once you are arrested and in custody.
The statute states this as a duty on the person required to provide it, not a request.
Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995, s.18(2)
“the person so required shall comply with that requirement”
Read it at legislation.gov.ukquote checked 2026-08-31

What the law says

What the law provides — the power, who can use it and when, and what follows — quoted from its source. The section above says what you must do.

A constable of at least inspector rank can authorise a bodily sample (for example by swabbing or rubbing an external part of the body) to be taken from you without a separate consent step described in this provision.
Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995, s.18(6)
“A constable may, with the authority of an officer of a rank no lower than inspector, take from the person—from an external part of the body, by means of swabbing or rubbing, a sample of blood or other body fluid, of body tissue or of other material”
Read it at legislation.gov.ukquote checked 2026-08-31
A mouth swab for a saliva sample can be taken by a constable, or by a police custody and security officer directed by one, on the same basis.
Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995, s.18(6A)
“A constable, or at a constable's direction a police custody and security officer, may take from the inside of the person's mouth, by means of swabbing, a sample of saliva or other material.”
Read it at legislation.gov.ukquote checked 2026-08-31
If your case ends in conviction, section 18(3) sets out no duty to destroy your relevant physical data or samples — that destruction duty applies only where proceedings are not brought or end other than with a conviction.
This page does not describe a statutory route to delete that material after a conviction.
Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995, s.18(3)
“shall be destroyed as soon as possible following a decision not to institute criminal proceedings against the person or on the conclusion of such proceedings otherwise than with a conviction”
Read it at legislation.gov.ukquote checked 2026-08-31
If your case involved a relevant sexual or violent offence and ended without a conviction, your material can be retained for up to 3 years rather than destroyed promptly.
Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995, s.18A(3)-(4)(a)
“the relevant physical data, sample or information derived from a sample shall be destroyed no later than the destruction date—the date of expiry of the period of 3 years following the conclusion of the proceedings”
Read it at legislation.gov.ukquote checked 2026-08-31
The chief constable can apply to a sheriff to extend that 3-year retention period.
It is the police who have to actively apply and justify the extension to a sheriff — not you who has to apply to have the default date brought forward.
Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995, s.18A(5)
“On a summary application made by the chief constable of the Police Service of Scotland within the period of 3 months before the destruction date the sheriff may, if satisfied that there are reasonable grounds for doing so, make an order amending, or further amending, the destruction date.”
Read it at legislation.gov.ukquote checked 2026-08-31
Each extension a sheriff grants is capped at a further 2 years beyond the previous destruction date — it is not an open-ended power.
Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995, s.18A(7)
“An order under subsection (5) above shall not specify a destruction date more than 2 years later than the previous destruction date.”
Read it at legislation.gov.ukquote checked 2026-08-31

Fingerprints, DNA and other samples in Scotland: what happens to them →The section 18(3) destruction default, and the sexual/violent-offence extension route under section 18A.

I was given a recorded police warning, or a fiscal fine

Recorded police warning or fiscal fine — not sourced on this tool

A recorded police warning and a fiscal fine are not convictions, but this tool does not currently say what that means for fingerprint, DNA or sample retention specifically.

Not fully sourced yet: This site has not sourced how long samples are kept after a recorded police warning or a fiscal fine in Scotland.

Recorded police warnings and fiscal fines: Scotland has no "caution" →What a recorded police warning and a fiscal fine actually are, and what is sourced about disclosure and record-keeping for the warning or fine itself.
Fingerprints, DNA and other samples in Scotland: what happens to them →The section 18 regime that governs samples generally — but not spoken to a warning or fine outcome specifically.

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is not covered by this site

This tool only answers for England & Wales and Scotland. Northern Ireland has its own police powers regime.

Not fully sourced yet: This site does not cover Northern Ireland law, and the England & Wales and Scotland answers in this tool do not apply there.