Police forces have a duty to obtain and use a wide variety of information (including personal information), in order to discharge their responsibilities effectively. They need the support and cooperation of the public in doing so. The purpose of the Code and associated guidance is to assist the police to carry out that duty.
The code sets out the principles governing the management of information (including personal information) which the police service may need to manage and use including:-
(a) procedures to be applied in obtaining and recording that information;
(b) procedures to ensure the accuracy of information managed by the police;
(c) procedures for reviewing the need to retain information and, where it is no longer needed, to destroy it;
(d) procedures governing authorised sharing of information within the police service and with other agencies; and
(e) measures to maintain consistent procedures for the management of information within all police forces so as to facilitate information sharing and the development of service-wide technological support for information management.
Made by the Secretary of State for the Home Department under sections 39 and 39A of the Police Act 1996 and sections 28, 28A, 73 and 73A of the Police Act 1997.
The document is available here:
https://library.college.police.uk/docs/APPref/Management-of-Police-Information.pdf