fingerprints.

[redcrx]

Ive been asked to give my fingerprints to police today after my boyfriends car was broken into. Due to a lot of similar incidents in the area the police took fingerprints from car and got some good ones so both my bf and i have to give our prints at the station to rule out ours from the investigation.

I dont mind giving my prints or the fact that the police would then have them but ive just been told that i can ask the police to destroy the records of my prints after this investigation is closed. Is this right? can i just ask them to get rid of them and not keep them on file.

As i said i have no worries about them being on record at all, just wondered if this fact was true?

[PinkFizz]

Sorry to hear about boyfriend's car.Im not sure to be honest,but how would you actually know they had been destroyed? You would have to take their word for it I guess.x

[steviep165]

the police only have the right to keep your prints if they are gained in an investigation where you have been found guilty.
they should not keep prints given voluntarily to help their enquiries. but that wont stop them.

[redcrx]

so i do have the right to ask for proof they have been destroyed. As i said i have nothing to hide and dont mind if they have them.

[Champagne]

I wouldn't give my prints to the police, purely for the fact that this world is bad enough with 'big brother' knowing our every move! Plus I'm seriously considering changing career to become a hitwoman... but that's not relevant right now.

They can't keep your prints on file if you don't want them to but like you say, you won't know they're destroyed unless you have proof.

[redcrx]

champagne, does that mean that wouldnt give them willingly as i am?

[Champagne]

No chance!

Seriously redcrx, I've had loads of dealings with the police (not on the bad side of the law I hasten to add!) and I little faith in them. For example, I was once flashed in broad daylight and chased the flasher down the street. The direction he ran led to a firm's delivery van which indicated it could be his. So I did my own investigation and rang the firm and gave the description of the guy and they said it was him. So I then called the police and gave my statement and all the info. Did he get charged? Nope!! I was later told that short of me rugby tackling him to the ground and getting video footage of his exposed nethers, including a face shot, I had very little chance. Great huh?

[steviep165]

i got hoofed down the stairs in the nick in wolverhampton just for being a geordie. havnt got time for any coppers.

[4getmenot]

You're guilty as sin :-)

[steviep165]

meeeeoooowwwww!!

[redcrx]

stevie, that doesnt answer my question really. out of interest tho, wouldnt you call the police and want them to do something should a crime be committed against you?

[4getmenot]

whats the meeeowww for?

[spk]

I think they would just lie to you about destroying them if you asked them to

[redcrx]

gave my prints yesterday.
The form i signed was a fingerprints for elimination form and stated that once they were not needed for the case then they get destroyed. They were taken by using the old ink and paper method so are not stored on some computer andywhere either.
I was even told that i could watch them being destroyed should i so wish.

[Champagne]

Cool. Well done redcrx. That's good to know for future reference.

And I agree, you do want the police to help should a crime be committed against you. My boyfriend's van had an attempted break-in just the other week. They didn't manage to get into the van before my boyfriend chased them down the road at 2am in his boxer shorts! But the police did very little. The incident has been put on file because they have no other similar occurrences in that area, even though every night we witness a police car going past our window checking our cul-de-sac!!