OPCC records retention schedule
The OPCC is legally required to keep a register of information as well as to make this information viewable by the public. This is to provide greater transparency.
| Business function | Records - electronic storage | Retention |
|---|---|---|
| OPCC Meetings – i.e. PCC's Governance Board and Finance Panel |
Minutes, agendas and reports, Decisions and Actions logs |
Permanent |
| Regional PCC Meetings, Collaboration, Partnership and External Meetings |
Minutes | Permanent |
| Regional PCC Meetings, Collaboration, Partnership and External Meetings |
Supporting documentation | 6 years |
| PCC Planning and Reporting | Police and Crime Plan, Business Plans, Annual reports | 1 PCC Term |
| Commissioning | Strategy & delivery plans | 1 PCC term |
| Appointment of Chief Constable | Advertisements | 3 years |
| Appointment of Chief Constable | Application forms – unsuccessful | 1 Year |
| Appointment of Chief Constable | Personnel files – hard copy inc. interview reports |
6 years after last pension payment |
| Leaving of Force Chief Constable | Resignation, redundancy, dismissal, death, retirement |
6 years after termination or, if pension paid, 6 years after last pension payment |
| Complaints against Chief Constable | Correspondence, reports, statements and exhibits |
6 years after conclusion of the complaint process |
| Complaints against OPCC staff | Correspondence, reports, statements and exhibits |
6 years after conclusion of the complaint process |
| Complaints against PCC | Correspondence, reports, statements and exhibits |
6 years after conclusion of the complaint process |
| ndependent Panels – e.g. Commissioner's Forum, Ethics Panel etc. |
Agendas, papers and minutes | 4 years |
| Independent Custody Visiting Scheme | Visitor reports & co-ordinator meeting notes, ICV expenses |
5 years |
| Independent Custody Visiting Scheme | Custody Visitor details | 2 years after end of appointment |
| Independent Custody Visiting Scheme | Applications (unsuccessful) | 1 year |
| Independent Custody Visiting Scheme | Scheme Handbook | Until superseded |
| FOIs (for FOI requests where exemptions apply – see 10. General) |
Correspondence | 6 years |
| Data Protection | Personal data access requests | 2 years |
| Contact Forms & Letters | Correspondence | 6 years |
| PCC's public facing function | Records | Retention |
|---|---|---|
| Community Engagement | Strategies & Correspondence | 4 years |
| Public Consultation | Strategy, records, correspondence, minutes and supporting papers |
4 years after collation of data |
| Media relations | Press releases, Strategy | 4 years |
| Marketing | Developing and promoting PCC | 2 years |
| Marketing | Newsletters | 4 years |
| Marketing | Blogs | 1 years |
| PCC's standards | Records | Retention |
|---|---|---|
| Expenses | Expense claims | 2 years are leaving |
| Registers of interest and hospitality | Diclosable interests and Register of gifts and hospitatlity | Permanent |
| Internal management and governance function | Records | Retention |
|---|---|---|
| Governance Framework | Scheme of Governance, Delegation of functions, Terms of reference and Standing orders/financial regulations | Permanent |
| Police Performance Monitoring | Monthly/quarterly/annual statistics and PCC response to HMIC reports | 2 years |
| Joint Audit Committee | Annual audit letter, External Audit Reports, Internal Audit reports, Terms of Reference and Allowance claims and register of interests | 3 years |
| Risks and Issues | Risks and Issues | 2 years |
| Information Management | Record of transfer to archive/disposal | Permanent |
| Diaries and Calendars | Calendars deleted or destroyed after 12 months |
|
| Outlook contacts | Details of regular business contacts | 3 years from date of last contact |
| HR function | Records | Retention |
| OPCC Recruitment (incl CEO & CFO) |
Application forms (unsuccessful) | 1 year |
| OPCC Recruitment (incl CEO & CFO) |
Leavers and Application forms (successful) – hardcopy | 6 years after termination or, if pension paid, 6 years after last pension payment |
| OPCC Recruitment (incl CEO & CFO) |
Completed vetting forms | 1 year after expiry |
| OPCC Recruitment (incl CEO & CFO) |
Interview notes | 4 years from leaving date |
| OPCC Staff/officers – HR records/ personnel files (electronic and hardcopy) |
Staff sickness/leave (held on UNIT4 by Constabulary) |
2 years from the event |
| OPCC Staff/officers – HR records/ personnel files (electronic and hardcopy) |
Performance reviews/training & development/grievances/appeals etc |
4 years from leaving date |
| Policies and procedures | Policies and procedures | Superseded + 4 years |
| Health and Safety | Accident book via UNIT4 | Constabulary to manage |
| Legal and contract functions | Records | Retention |
|---|---|---|
| Litigation | Correspondence and Criminal and civil case files | 7 years after last action |
| Legal advice | Correspondence | 3 years |
| Signed Agreements (electronic and hardcopy) |
Contracts and Service level agreements | 6 years after contract/agreement expires |
| Police Appeal Tribunals & Misconduct Hearings | Verbatim record of evidence of Tribunals and Hearing documents | 2 years |
| Sealing Register (hardcopy) |
Permanent | |
| Asset Acquisition/Disposal | Legal docs relating to purchase/sale and Leases | 6 years if under £50,000 |
| Asset Acquisition/Disposal | Tender documents | 12 years if over £50,000 |
| Property and Land Management | Records | Retention |
|---|---|---|
| Insurance | Insurance policies/ correspondence | 7 years after term expires |
| Financial Management | Records | Retention |
|---|---|---|
| Annual reports | Annual statement of accounts | Permanent |
| Finance | Medium term financial strategy | Superseded + 5 years |
| OPCC Approvals/purchase | Purchase/sales order (held on finance system) | No copies need to be held by the OPCC |
| Asset Acquisition and disposal | Management of the acquisition and disposal process of assets |
Destroy after 7 years, if under £50,000 or 12 years if over £50,000 |
| Asset monitoring & maintenance | Asset registers | Destroy 7 years after end of financial year |
| Asset monitoring & maintenance | Inventories/ Stocktaking | Destroy 2 years after admin use |
| Asset monitoring & maintenance | Acquisition & disposal reports. Service/ maintenance records | Destroy 7 years after sale or disposal |
| OPCC Budget setting | Final annual report | Permanent |
| OPCC Budget setting | Draft budget and estimates | 4 years after budget set |
| OPCC Budget setting | Budget Monitoring | Destroy after following year's budget adopted |
| OPCC Expenditure | Invoices/receipts/bank statements/vouchers/ledgers/write off of public monies | |
| Payroll | Claim forms/pay/tax records/summary pay reports |
7 years |
| Loans | Correspondence and agreements | 7 years |
| Funding agreements | Funding agreement documents | Current + 4 years |
| Commissioning | Service provider reports | 5 years |
| Commissioner's Fund Grants & Contracts | Correspondence, offer letters, quarterly monitoring reports, financial details, invoices and purchase orders, postal and email addresses, signed Grant/Contract agreements | 6 years after contract/agreement expires |
| Precept | Precept notifications to precepting authorities | Current financial year + 4 years |
| Police and Crime Panel | Records | Retention |
|---|---|---|
| PCC scrutiny | Confirmation hearing paperwork and Complaints handling | 6 years |
| PCC scrutiny | PCP Member Contact Details | For duration of term |
| PCC scrutiny | Agendas, reports and minutes | 3 years |
| Function | Records | Retention |
|---|---|---|
| Independent Members – Misconduct Hearings, LQCs and PATs | Appointment/nomination files | 1 year after leaving post |
| Independent Members – Misconduct Hearings, LQCs and PATs | Expenses/allowances paid | 6 years after leaving |
| Appeals against Local Resolutions | Appeal correspondence and determinations | 6 years after conclusion of appeal |
| FOI requests where exemptions apply, complaints or appeals are made | Requests dealt with under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 where: The records are subject to exemptions (partially or wholly), A public interest test has been formally applied, A complaint has been made to the PCC about the application of exemptions or handling of the request, A complaint has been made to the Information Commissioner about the handling of the request. |
6 years The request itself, associated records to which the request applies should not be destroyed until the PCC is satisfied that the requester does not wish to pursue and appeal or the appeal process has been exhausted. The documentation should remain current for a year from the last action then closed for one further year, then destroyed if no further activity has occurred. Should any activity occur within that period the documentation should become current again. |
Please note:
Documents will be stored electronically unless otherwise stated
‘Permanent’ category – keep documents for 30 years and then transfer them ‘on deposit’ to a public archive eg. Gloucestershire
Archives.
‘Until superseded’ retention – the current policy/documentation and all previous versions thereof need to be retained for the life of the policy. When the policy is redundant then the retention periods kick in to retain the policy and previous versions for the stated number of years from the time the policy is made redundant.
Wherever possible the PCC will work electronically and documents are to be scanned and filed electronically in the filing system within the PCC Folder on the K drive.