Core Data Principle
OpenPolice republishes official hearing data exactly as published by authorities. Officer profiles are a separate construct and only exist when identity is fully published by an official source.
Hearing Data
We aggregate and display police misconduct hearing data from official sources including police forces, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), and tribunal records. This data may include:
- Partial names (first name only, last name only, or initials)
- Rank and collar/badge numbers where officially published
- Force or jurisdiction
- Allegation summaries and hearing outcomes
- Hearing dates and venues
Hearing listings are displayed exactly as published by authorities. We do not infer, guess, or enrich identity information beyond what is officially stated.
Officer Profile Creation Rules
An officer profile on OpenPolice may only be created when ALL of the following conditions are met:
- First name has been officially published
- Last name has been officially published
- The name was published by an official authority (police force, IOPC, court, tribunal)
- A source link to the official publication is retained
- The jurisdiction (force) is known
We explicitly do not create officer profiles for:
- Partial names (e.g., "PC John", "Officer Smith", "Detective J.")
- Badge or collar number only identifiers
- Names inferred from unofficial sources or user submissions
Linking Hearings to Profiles
A hearing record may only be linked to an officer profile when there is high confidence of identity match based on:
- Exact match of first name and last name
- Same police force
- Consistent rank (where available)
- Overlapping service dates (where available)
Unlinked hearing records remain searchable but are not associated with any officer profile. If an authority later publishes full name information, the hearing may be retrospectively linked.
Data Corrections
Officers or their legal representatives may request corrections or removal of data by contacting us. We will:
- Verify the requestor's identity and standing
- Review the official source records
- Correct any errors in our republication
- Consider removal requests on a case-by-case basis, balancing public interest with individual rights