We understand that your privacy is important to you. The council’s main privacy notice explains how the council (as a data controller) collects, uses and protects personal data generally and contains the contact details for the council’s Data Protection Officer.
This privacy notice tells you what to expect when the council collects personal information in relation to Community Safety Services.
Community Safety Services includes:
- Community Safety Team
- Community Safety Partnership (also known as the Safer Harlow Partnership)
- emergency planning
- events on council land
- CCTV
- safeguarding
Why we collect your personal information
Your details are required to:
- investigate and prevent crime and disorder
- reduce the fear of crime
- safeguard vulnerable members of our communities
- bring offenders to justice
- increase community safety
- share intelligence with partners
We also use personal information to issue fixed penalty notices, community protection warnings and notices in line with our statutory duties.
Other reasons why we may need to collect personal data include:
- carrying out home safety visits
- checking the quality and effectiveness of our services
- investigating any concerns or complaints about our services
- research and planning of new services
- emergency contact information
- agreements you may have with the community safety partnership
The information that you have provided will be securely held by Harlow Council and will only be accessed by authorised persons with the appropriate access controls. Harlow Council will only use information that you have provided for the purpose it was supplied and will not use it for any other purpose, unless you have given your consent, or this is otherwise required or permitted by law.
What personal information we collect
To deliver Community Safety Services we may collect personal information about you including:
- name
- address
- date of birth
- gender
- images and audio collected through body worn cameras
- CCTV images
- contact information
We may also collect special category information about you including:
- health
- race
- religion
- vulnerability
- sexuality
We process personal information to enable us to undertake investigations, for research and statistical purposes and to understand, monitor and evaluate local crime trends. The information that we receive and share may identify individuals.
How we collect your personal information
Personal information originates mainly from you as the customer but can also be provided by other sources on an individual basis including but not limited to:
- other Harlow Council services
- local authority social services
- law enforcement agencies and emergency services
- health providers
- public sector agencies (for example, Department for Work and Pensions, Jobcentre Plus, other local authorities and private sector companies such as credit reference agencies)
- partner agencies and multi-agency organisations
- registered social landlords
What is the legal basis for processing your personal data?
Under the GDPR, the lawful basis we rely on for processing this information is outlined in article 6(1)(e) - Public Task. The processing is necessary for the data controller to perform a task in the public interest or for official functions and the task or function has a clear basis in law.
Special category data includes information about race; ethnic origin; politics; religion; trade union membership; genetics; biometrics (where used for ID purposes); health; sex life; or sexual orientation and where applicable the additional legal basis for doing so is:
Social Protection 9(2)(b). The processing is necessary for the purposes of carrying out the obligations and exercising specific rights of the controller or of the data subject in the field of employment and social security and social protection law. And Public Interest 9(2)(g). The processing is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest.
Criminal offence data includes personal data relating to criminal convictions and offences, or related security measures and where applicable the additional legal basis for doing so is: The processing is necessary for the purposes of performing or exercising obligations or rights which are imposed or conferred by law on the controller or the data subject in connection with social protection; for administering justice; or for the exercising of statutory, governmental, other public functions and the prevent and detection of unlawful acts and protecting the public against dishonesty.
The processing of your personal information is necessary for compliance with the legal obligation contained in the following acts, to facilitate a statutory obligation, and to provide council services (this list is not exhaustive):
- Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003
- Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014
- Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984
- Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000
- Localism Act 2011
- Crime and Disorder Act 1998
- Environmental Protection Act 1990
- Housing Acts 1985, 1996 and 2004
- Homelessness Reduction Act 2018
What we do with the information we collect
Your personal information will be treated as confidential but it may be shared with other council services where necessary and appropriate. We may also need to share your information with our partners in the Harlow Community Safety Partnership (also known as the Safer Harlow Partnership) where circumstances or the law require. These partners include (this list is not exhaustive):
- Essex Police and other crime enforcement agencies
- other local authorities
- community and voluntary sector organisations working with the council
- East of England Ambulance Service
- Essex County Fire and Rescue Service
- courts and judicial agencies
- registered social landlords
The service providers listed above are obliged to keep your details securely, using them only to fulfil the purpose they were supplied for and dispose of the information in line with their own retention periods.
How long we keep your personal information
All personal information will be held securely by Harlow Council and will only be retained for as long as is necessary for the purpose for which it was provided in line with the council’s records retention policy. Where we do not need to continue to hold your information, it will be securely destroyed.
Changes to this privacy notice
We keep our privacy notice under regular review. This privacy notice was last updated in February 2023.
Your rights
You have the right to:
- ask us for copies of your personal information
- ask us to rectify personal information you think is inaccurate and ask us to complete information you think is incomplete
- ask us to erase your personal information in certain circumstances
- ask us to restrict the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances
- object to the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances
- ask that we transfer the personal information you gave us to another organisation, or to you, in certain circumstances
You are not required to pay any charge for exercising your rights. If you make a request to Harlow Council, we will provide a response within 20 working days. You can find more information on our data protection page.
How to complain
You can complain to the ICO if you are unhappy with how we have used your data.
The ICO’s address:
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Helpline number: 0303 123 1113