Privacy &
Data Transparency
What Police Pay collects and keeps, feature by feature, and your rights under UK data protection law.
Who we are
Police Pay is an independent online platform providing financial and regulatory guidance for UK policing. We decide how and why the data described here is used, so we are the data controller.
We are not affiliated with any police force, staff association or government body. Contact us about anything on this page at andrew@policepay.co.uk.
The short version
- The guides and the calculators work without an account, and a calculator's figures stay in your browser.
- Some features do send what you type to our servers: accounts, payments, email sign-ups, forms, and the AI features. The tables below say exactly what each one keeps.
- AI features send your text, and for the mock interview your voice, to Google's Gemini service. Some of them keep it afterwards, linked to your account. Please do not put names, contact details or sensitive personal details in them.
- We do not sell your personal data.
- You can ask us to delete what we hold at any time: andrew@policepay.co.uk.
What we hold, by feature
Browsing and analytics
- You give us
- Nothing you type. Pages viewed, clicks, scrolling and tool use are recorded automatically.
- We keep
- Page views and events with device type, browser, approximate location from your IP address and a cookie identifier, in Google Analytics. Retention follows our Google Analytics settings.
- Processed by
- Google (Analytics)
Free calculators and guides
- You give us
- Your figures, if you use a calculator.
- We keep
- Nothing on our servers. The calculation runs in your browser. The free promotion exam and NIE mini mocks keep your last result, and the toolkits keep your chosen rank or sitting and your progress, in your own browser storage only, so a refresh does not lose it; clear your site data to remove it. The exceptions are the AI features and paid reports listed below.
- Processed by
- None
Fitness tools: bleep simulator, readiness calculator, plan tracker
- You give us
- Your bleep test level, test date and any re-test results you record.
- We keep
- Saved in your browser's local storage (keys starting pp_fitness_) and not sent to our servers. Clearing your browser data or using the Clear button on the plan removes it. The simulator and calculators do record anonymous usage events in Google Analytics, such as the level reached, but not your name or email. The paid personalised plan is different: it sends your answers to Google Gemini and is saved to your account (see the AI section below).
- Processed by
- None for the browser-only tools
Accounts and sign-in
- You give us
- Your email address and a password. When you buy without signing in, a guest account with no email is created in the background so the purchase can be linked.
- We keep
- Your email, your account ID, the products you have access to and when that access ends. Passwords are handled by Google's sign-in service; we never see them.
- Processed by
- Google (Firebase Authentication, database)
Payments
- You give us
- Card details, entered on Stripe's own page.
- We keep
- We never see or store your card number. We keep the product, amount, status, time and the email used at checkout, linked to your account or guest ID. We also log each checkout we start (product, amount, whether you were signed in, the page it started from, status, time) to see where visitors stop.
- Processed by
- Stripe
Pension checkout email
- You give us
- Optionally, your email address in the step before the pension calculator sends you to Stripe, and an optional unticked box: "If I do not finish paying, email me one reminder with a link back to this calculator. The site owner sends it by hand."
- We keep
- The email is passed to Stripe so it is filled in on the payment page, and is then kept as in Payments above (if you do not finish paying, Stripe still holds the unfinished checkout with it, and the owner's checkout alert shows it). If the box is unticked it is not added to any list. If you tick it, we also save the email, the page, the first part of your browser's user agent and the time on our list, tagged pension_checkout_email, so the owner can send that one reminder by hand if you have not paid. Unsubscribe at any time at /unsubscribe/.
- Processed by
- Stripe; Google (database); Telegram (see below)
Email lists and alerts
- You give us
- Your email address, and sometimes a name, when you sign up to an alert or newsletter.
- We keep
- Email, optional name, the page or form you used and the page address (for promotion exam sign-ups this includes which exam you chose, sergeant or inspector), the type of reader (officer, staff, candidate, customer or account holder), the first part of your browser's user agent and the time. Update emails are opt-in: creating an account adds you to the list only if you tick the optional box, and buying something does not add you. We send the emails through Kit (kit.com), our email provider, which keeps your email, optional first name, the topics you chose (stored as tags), the form and page you signed up on and a private code for your preferences link. You can change topics from the link in any email, and unsubscribe at any time at /unsubscribe/ or by emailing us.
- Processed by
- Google (database); Kit (email provider); Telegram (see below)
Contact, enquiry and introduction forms
- You give us
- Your name, email, message and any details the form asks for (for example force transfer interest, partner enquiries, mortgage broker introductions).
- We keep
- What you submit. Details are passed to a named third party only if you ask for that on the form.
- Processed by
- Google (database)
Force reviews and ratings
- You give us
- A review or rating of a force, and your role band.
- We keep
- The review, ratings, role band and your pseudonymous account ID, so you can edit or delete it and so there is one review per force. Approved reviews are public and do not show your name or email. One-tap ratings keep only a one-way hash of your connection address (to limit repeats). The wellbeing survey, now closed, kept responses by force and rank band with no account or address attached.
- Processed by
- Google (database)
AI features and recordings
Every AI feature on the site sends what you type (and, for the mock interview, your voice recording) to Google's Gemini service so it can write the reply. Because you type free text into these tools, you could include sensitive details such as health information or criminal-record details. Please keep entries general and leave out names, contact details and anything that identifies you or someone else. If sensitive details do get stored, they are treated as sensitive personal data and are deleted if you ask.
Promotion exam toolkit: AI tutor, AI-written practice questions, AI-marked board answers (AI Pro)
- Sent to Google
- Your question or answer and the practice question it relates to.
- We keep
- Nothing you type and nothing the AI replies. We keep only usage counts, by account and day, to apply daily limits.
National Investigators' Exam (NIE) toolkit: AI tutor and AI-written practice questions (AI Pro)
- Sent to Google
- Your follow-up question, the practice question it relates to, and which part of the syllabus you chose.
- We keep
- Nothing you type and nothing the AI replies. We keep only usage counts, by account and day, to apply daily limits.
Free marked board answer
- Sent to Google
- Your answer and the practice question you chose.
- We keep
- Nothing you type and no reply. We keep a daily count and, to apply a one-per-day limit, a keyed one-way hash of your connection address (not the address itself).
Pension calculator: AI chat
- Sent to Google
- Your question and the figures from the calculator (for example scheme, rank, age, retirement age, salary, years of service).
- We keep
- The question, the AI's reply and the calculator inputs, saved with your account ID if you are signed in. Daily usage counts are kept as well.
Injury award calculator: AI chat
- Sent to Google
- Your question and the figures from the calculator (for example band, scheme, service, salary).
- We keep
- Nothing you type and no reply. The question text is not sent to our analytics. We keep daily usage counts only.
Pension calculator: PDF report and snapshot
- Sent to Google
- Nothing. The PDF is built in your browser from your figures. No AI is used and no request is made when you download it.
- We keep
- Nothing. The file is created on your device.
Ill-health retirement report and Parent financial planner: ask a question
- Sent to Google
- Your question and the figures already calculated in your report.
- We keep
- Neither the question, the figures nor the reply. We keep a usage record with your account ID: the date and the length of your question.
Vetting preparation assessment
- Sent to Google
- The areas you flag, your force, your entry route and the free text you write (up to 3,000 characters).
- We keep
- Nothing you write and no assessment. We keep a usage record with your account ID: the date, how many areas you flagged and how long your text was.
Written exercise trainer (assessment centre)
- Sent to Google
- The scenario and your written answer.
- We keep
- Neither your answer nor the evaluation. We keep a usage record with your account ID: the date, the scenario title and the length of your answer.
Mock interview simulator
- Sent to Google
- Your audio recording.
- We keep
- The recording is not kept: it is used to produce the feedback and then deleted. We keep the written feedback, linked to your account ID, and show it in your account. You do not need to sign up to try it: when your first answer is scored we create an anonymous guest session so the result can be saved to your browser. Free practice answers are limited to 5 a day, and to prevent abuse we count free use against a keyed hash of your connection address (not the address itself).
Personalised pass plan
- Sent to Google
- The answers you give in the planner, which can include injuries, anxiety and starting fitness.
- We keep
- The plan, your target and your current bleep level, saved in your account. The text of your answers is not saved separately.
AI output can be wrong. It is practice feedback and general information, not legal, financial or pension advice and not a prediction of any assessment result.
Cookies and advertising
We use Google Analytics cookies to understand how the site is used so we can improve it. We do not use that data for advertising. Under the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations as amended by the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, analytics cookies used only to measure and improve a website do not need your prior consent, but you can object at any time: use the "Analytics opt-out" link at the bottom of every page. It switches Google Analytics off in your browser and deletes its cookies; click it again to turn analytics back on. Police Pay may also show advertising through Google in future, which can use cookies and device identifiers to show and measure ads. We do not control third-party cookie policies. You can also manage cookies in your browser. These tools do not give us your payroll or financial figures.
Who else handles your data
These providers can process data outside the UK, under the transfer safeguards they offer. We do not pass your details to any other third party, other than a named introduction you have asked for on a form (for example a mortgage broker or a force), or where the law requires it.
Our legal basis
- Contract: accounts, purchases, and the AI features and reports you choose to use.
- Consent: cookies and advertising, email alerts you sign up to, and introductions to third parties you ask for.
- Legitimate interests: security, preventing abuse and cost overruns (for example daily limits), keeping accounts and purchase records, and improving the site.
- Legal obligation: keeping the financial records the law requires for payments.
We do not ask you for sensitive personal data. Where you choose to type it into a free-text box, we rely on your explicit consent to process it for that feature, and you can withdraw it by asking us to delete it.
How long we keep it
- Analytics: as set in our Google Analytics account.
- Accounts and the AI items marked as saved above: until you ask us to delete them. We do not currently delete them automatically, so if you want something removed, email us and we will do it.
- Purchase and payment records: as long as tax and accounting rules require.
- Email lists, forms and enquiries: until you ask us to remove you, or until the purpose has ended.
- Usage counters for daily limits: small counts that contain no text you typed.
Your rights
Under UK GDPR you can:
- See the personal data we hold about you
- Have it corrected
- Have it deleted (including saved AI questions, answers and recordings)
- Object to or restrict how we use it
- Withdraw consent at any time, for example for marketing email or cookies
- Receive your data in a portable format
Email andrew@policepay.co.uk to use any of these. If you are unhappy with how we handle your data, you can complain to the UK data protection regulator, the Information Commission (formerly the Information Commissioner's Office), at ico.org.uk.
Security and changes
The site is served over HTTPS and stored data is held in Google Cloud with access limited by security rules and administrator access. No online system can guarantee absolute security. We will update this page when features or the data they keep change, and the date at the top will show when.