Privacy Policy

The Patrol – Liverpool is a volunteer-led community patrol organisation based in Liverpool, United Kingdom. The Patrol operates a website and a members' app that members use to manage their membership, training, patrol participation and related activities.

For the purposes of this Privacy Policy, The Patrol – Liverpool is the data controller responsible for the personal information described below.

We collect and store the personal information reasonably needed to run membership, training and patrol activities. Depending on your relationship with The Patrol, this may include:

Member information:

• name
• email address
• telephone or mobile number
• account and login information
• profile information
• next-of-kin / emergency contact information
• vetting information and status
• Volunteer Declaration information
• Academy / training progress
• patrol sign-ups and participation
• volunteer hours
• recognition / achievement information
• information submitted through the member portal
• communications relating to membership and patrol activities
• technical information required to operate and secure the app

Where information is not required for a particular activity, we do not collect it. We do not knowingly collect more personal information than is necessary for the purposes set out in this policy.

We use personal information to:

• administer membership
• manage access to the member portal and app
• manage training and Academy completion
• organise patrol participation
• maintain appropriate emergency / next-of-kin information
• manage vetting and volunteer requirements
• communicate with members about patrols, training, safety and important updates
• maintain records of volunteering and participation
• protect the security of the service
• comply with legal and safeguarding obligations where applicable

People applying to become members provide information through the recruitment process, which currently involves contacting The Patrol by WhatsApp rather than completing a separate online application form. This means application information may be exchanged through WhatsApp and other contact communications.

As part of assessing membership applications, The Patrol may consider information that applicants have made publicly available, including publicly available social media information, where this is relevant to the application.

We do not access private social media accounts. We only consider information that an applicant has chosen to make publicly accessible.

Personal information is only shared where necessary for the operation of The Patrol, where required by law, or where necessary to protect members or others.

We do not sell personal information, and we do not use it for advertising.

Where information needs to be shared with a particular service — for example where a safeguarding or legal obligation requires it — we share only what is necessary for that purpose.

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against unauthorised access, loss, misuse or disclosure. Access to personal information is limited to those who need it to carry out their role within The Patrol.

No method of storing or transmitting information is completely secure, but we work to protect your information using measures appropriate to the nature of the data and the risks involved.

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for membership, safeguarding, legal, operational and record-keeping purposes, and then securely delete or anonymise it where appropriate.

How long a particular record is kept depends on what it is and why it is held. Where a specific legal or safeguarding requirement applies to keeping a record, we retain it for as long as that requirement requires.

You can request deletion of your account and associated personal information at any time by emailing us at the address below.

Requests will be considered and processed in accordance with applicable legal and safeguarding requirements. Some information may need to be retained where there is a legal or legitimate requirement to do so — for example where records must be kept for safeguarding or operational reasons — even after an account is closed.

To request account or data deletion, contact:

• hello@wearethepatrol.org

Under UK GDPR you have a number of rights in relation to your personal information, including:

• the right to be informed about how your information is used
• the right of access to your personal information
• the right to rectification of inaccurate information
• the right to erasure of your personal information
• the right to restrict processing
• the right to object to processing
• the right to data portability
• the right to withdraw consent, where processing is based on consent

Some of these rights are subject to legal limitations, and we may need to keep or use certain information where the law or safeguarding obligations require it.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at the email address in section 13.

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies only where necessary for it to function — for example to keep you signed in to the member portal. We do not use cookies for advertising.

You can control or delete cookies through your browser settings. Disabling some cookies may affect how the website works.

The Patrol membership and app are intended for adults aged 18 and over. The service is not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children.

This Privacy Policy may be updated from time to time. The latest version will always be published on this page, so please check back for the current version.

If you have any privacy questions or data requests, you can contact The Patrol using the details below.

The Patrol – Liverpool Liverpool, United Kingdom Email: hello@wearethepatrol.org

If you have a concern about how we handle your personal information, please contact us first and we will do our best to resolve it.

You also have the right to complain to the UK's Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). You can find out more on the ICO website:

https://ico.org.uk/