The values that guide OpenPolice as a free, independent reference for the UK justice system.
OpenPolice exists to make the UK justice system easier to understand. These principles shape what we publish, how we source it, and how we treat the people who use the site — they're the standard we hold ourselves to.
Free of agenda
OpenPolice is independent and not affiliated with any police force, court or government body. We are funded privately and by donations — no ads, no paywall, and we never sell data. That independence lets us present information plainly, without spin.
Built from public records
Our directory is built from official open data, public registers and published records, combined with staff review. We aim to show where information comes from, and we never infer identities from partial or unofficial sources.
Information in the public interest
We believe people should be able to understand the justice system that affects them. We gather scattered public information — forces, courts, prisons, stop & search data and legal help — into one place that anyone can browse freely.
Respecting the people who use us
You can use almost all of OpenPolice without an account and without giving us any personal data. If you do create an account, an anonymous option needs no email. We use no third-party tracking or advertising.
Clear and usable for everyone
Legal and justice information is often hard to navigate. We write in plain English, organise the site around how people actually search — by area, by court, by need — and design it to work well on any device.
Correctable and answerable
We can get things wrong, so we make it easy to put them right. Anyone can ask us to review, correct or remove a record, and we handle those requests carefully — balancing the public interest with individual rights.
Status: Online
