Guidance

Single non-emergency number 101: privacy information notice

Published 20 March 2025

General Processing (UKGDPR & Part 2, Data Protection Act 2018)

Introduction

This privacy notice explains how we collect, store, use, disclose, retain and destroy personal data and the steps we take to ensure personal data we process is protected properly; and the rights individuals have when we process their personal data.

Single non-emergency number 101 privacy information notice (PIN)

The 101 single non-emergency number service does not seek to collect personal data. Once your call is connected to the appropriate police force or service, the relevant police force or service privacy information notice applies for how the information in the call is processed. However, to enable the routing of calls appropriately, network-level location data, interactive voice response systems and operators are used.

Although personal information is not sought, elements of the call used to identify the appropriate routing for the call may result in central collection and processing of recordings of voice response or conversations with operators.

These recordings supplied for the purposes of onward routing of 101 calls will be held and processed by:

VodafoneUK
Vodafone House
The Connection
Newbury
Berkshire
United Kingdom
RG14 2FN

on behalf of:

The Home Office
2 Marsham Street
London
United Kingdom
SW1P 4DF

The Home Office is the ‘Controller’ of this information. This also includes when it is collected or processed by third parties on our behalf.

Find details of the department’s Data Protection Officer.

How we gather and use your personal information

The Home Office collects and processes personal information to fulfil its legal and official statutory functions. We will only use personal information when the law allows us to and where it is necessary and proportionate to do so.

The Home Office is only allowed to process your data where there is a lawful basis for doing so.

Under UK GDPR Article 6(1)(e) our lawful basis for processing your data is under our “Public Task” the processing is necessary to perform a task in the public interest and in the exercise of official authority vested in us the service authority.

We have systems and policies in place to limit access to your information and prevent unauthorised disclosure. Staff who access personal information must have appropriate security clearance and a business need for accessing the information, and their activity is subject to audit and review.

The Home Office delegates processing tasks while carrying out our functions in relation to the 101 service to our suppliers (VodafoneUK). The Home Office, or VodafoneUK undertaking delegated processing, may need to share information provided with the organisations which can be contacted using the 101 service to ensure the correct connection or routing of calls. Once a call is connected, it is that organisation’s data protection policies with apply.

Automated processing and profiling

Article 22 of the UK GDPR provides the right not to be subject to a decision made solely based on automated processing, including profiling, which produces legal or other significant effects.

While the 101 service uses automation to identify the expected routing approach for calls, the result and ability to challenge the routing is presented to the caller to allow them to accept or seek alternative routing.

Storing your information

We keep your personal data only for as long as necessary for the particular purpose or purposes for which we hold it.

Audio responses to automation within the service are processed while the call is live only.

Transcriptions of these responses will be held for a period of 14 days to enable continuous improvement of the automation used. These transcripts are not held together with personal information used by Vodafone in transacting calls. By exception, transcripts may be held for a longer period while investigating issues with the service performance. These transcripts will not be held for longer than the active service issue.

Calls with operators are retained for audit in line with Vodafone’s retention policy. Find more detail of Vodafone’s privacy policy.

Requesting access to your personal data

Under the Data Protection Act you have a number of rights that you can exercise in relation to personal data we process about you. Right of Access: You can request access to the personal data we hold about you free of charge.

However, personal data is not sought, and where provided will not be used or retained beyond the retention period.

Personal data provided to a connected organisation through the 101 service, such as a police force will be processed and retained under that organisation’s policies. You have the right to request access to the personal information law enforcement bodies hold about you. Details of how to make the request can be found at the relevant law enforcement body website.

Other rights

In certain circumstances you have the right to:

1. Object to and restrict the use of your personal information, or to ask to have your data deleted or corrected.

2. Where you have explicitly consented to the use of your personal data and that is the lawful basis for processing, the right to withdraw your consent to the processing of your data and the right to data portability (where processing is carried out by automated means).

Questions or concerns about personal data

If you have any questions or concerns about the collection, use or disclosure of your personal information please contact the Home Office.

You have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office about the way the Home Office is handling your personal information. Find details on how you do this.