UK Act of Parliament 2012 United Kingdom

Protection of Freedoms Act 2012

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At a glance

Enforced by

DBS, SIA

What's here

14 compliance obligations, 2 practical guides across 2 topics · 3 journeys · 1 statutory instrument

Penalty landscape

1 of 14 obligations carry imprisonment (5 years). 1 carries different penalties and 12 have no criminal penalty — flagged in the list below.

Who this Act binds

Business-side actors with duties under this Act, ranked by how often they appear.

  • Any Person 2
  • Data Controller 1
  • Responsible Person 1

Plus 10 non-business duties on Crown ministers, regulators, local authorities or tribunals — shown collapsed under each section below.

Step-by-step journeys using this legislation

Walkthroughs that take you from a real business situation to compliance.

Relevant guidance

Practical guides for businesses affected by this Act, ordered by how closely they engage with it.

Supporting — topic alignment

2 guides

Other Acts binding the same actors

For each actor bound by this Act, the other UK Acts that bind them most often. Useful for understanding the full compliance landscape facing each role.

Any Person also bound by 770 other Acts (top 5 shown)
Data Controllers also bound by 7 other Acts (top 5 shown)
Responsible Persons also bound by 56 other Acts (top 5 shown)

What this Act requires

Sections that create concrete duties on businesses or carry penalties. Procedural and definitional sections are folded into the “Browse other sections” expander at the bottom of each group. Click any section title to read the source text on legislation.gov.uk.

Part 1 — Regulation of biometric data

Browse 27 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part 2 — Regulation of surveillance

s.032

Publication of code

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Secretary of State must publish the code of practice Crown / Minister / Government department
s.033

Effect of code

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Relevant authorities must follow the Surveillance Camera Code of Practice Local authority
s.035

Reports by Commissioner

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Surveillance Camera Commissioner must publish and submit annual reports Statutory regulator
Browse 6 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part 3 — Protection of property from disproportionate enforcement action

s.050

Publication of code

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Secretary of State must publish the code of practice Crown / Minister / Government department
s.051

Effect of code

  • Relevant persons must follow the powers of entry code of practice Responsible Person
Browse 12 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part 4 — Counter-terrorism powers

Browse 7 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part 5 — Safeguarding vulnerable groups, criminal records etc.

s.083

Up-dating certificates

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Secretary of State must provide updated criminal record info on request Crown / Minister / Government department
s.101

Power of Department of Justice to disregard certain convictions or cautions

Amended 16 times
s.101

Applications to the Department of Justice

Amended 16 times
s.101

Procedure for decisions by the Department of Justice

Amended 16 times
s.101

Effect of disregard on police and other records

Amended 16 times
s.101

Effect of disregard for disclosure and other purposes

Amended 16 times
s.101

Saving for Royal pardons etc

Amended 16 times
s.101

Section 101E: supplementary

Amended 16 times
s.101

Appeal against refusal to disregard convictions or caution

Amended 16 times
s.101

Advisers

Amended 16 times
s.101

Interpretation: Chapter 5

Amended 16 times
Browse 34 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part 6 — Freedom of information and data protection

Part 7 — Miscellaneous and general

Browse 7 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Schedules

Browse 10 other Schedules — structural / supplementary
Read the full Act on legislation.gov.uk (opens in a new tab)

Official guidance

Authoritative sources published by regulators or government explaining this legislation.

Enforcement and responsible bodies

The regulators that administer or enforce this legislation.

DBS

Primary

Disclosure and Barring Service

Provides criminal record checks (Basic, Standard, and Enhanced) for employers and organisations. Maintains the children's and adults' barred lists. Employers in regulated …

SIA

Security Industry Authority

Regulates the private security industry in the UK. Issues licences for security guards, door supervisors, CCTV operators, close protection operatives, and other …

Connected legislation

1 statutory instrument

These instruments amend, apply, or refer to this Act. They may not all create direct business obligations.

Explore more

Browse legislation

Find other UK business legislation with related guidance.

Regulators

Learn more about the bodies that enforce this legislation.