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Legal Disclaimer and Privacy Policy

West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner Privacy Notice

Download West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner Privacy Notice

Information provided to the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner by users through the use of this website will be treated in confidence and will not be disclosed to third parties unless required to do so by law.

The West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner website does not store or capture personal information, unless voluntarily offered (for example via feedback forms and e-mail), but merely logs the user’s IP address which is automatically recognised by the web server.

We use cookies for collecting specific user information from the site, but only that which is required for system administration of the web server and we will not collect any other information about you other than for the reason stated above.

This policy covers the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner website at www.westmidlands-pcc.gov.uk, links within these sites to other websites are not covered by this policy.

By continuing to use this site you are considered as understanding and agreeing to the contents of this statement.

Where the provision of personal data is required to enable us to provide a specific service to the user the details collected will only be used for the stated purpose.

Certain sections of this site seek personal information on a voluntary basis. The provision of this information is optional and this will be made clear at the start of each relevant section, as will the intended use of any such information provided.

Notification of Changes

If we decide to change our privacy policy, we will post these changes on this page so that you are always aware of what information will be collected and how we intend on using it.

Regardless of later updates, we will never use the information you submit under this current policy in a new way without first providing you an opportunity to opt-out or otherwise prevent that use.

Summary of terms

Browser
Used to locate and display web pages via a software application. 

Cookie
Message given to a web browser by a web server. The message is then generally stored by the browser in a text file. Each time the browser requests a page from the server, this message is sent back. A cookie’s main objective is to identify users and personalise their visit by customising web pages for them for example by welcoming them by name next time they visit the same site. A site using cookies will usually invite you to provide personal information such as your name, e-mail address and interests.

IP (Internet Protocol)
All networks connected to the Internet speak IP, the technical standard which allows data to be transmitted between two devices. TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) is responsible for making sure messages get from one host to another and that the messages are understood.

IP address
If you are connected to the Internet you have one, for example it may look something like this 198.184.98.9

Web Server
Delivers (serves up) web pages to your computer

Cookies

Cookies may be used on some parts of our website. They are widely used in order to make websites work, or work more efficiently, as well as to provide information to the owners of the site. Cookies used on the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner’s website cannot run programs or deliver viruses to your computer. Our cookies can’t read other data off your hard disk or read cookie files created by other sites. We do not use cookies for collecting personal user information.

Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer by websites that you visit. They are stored on your computer and help us to recognise you if you return to our site at a later stage. This can save you time on future visits by storing information you may have previously entered onto our site. For example, they are used to verify who you are, for session management (session management is the process of keeping track of a user’s activity across sessions of interaction with a website) and maintaining user site preferences.

You may block and / or delete cookies from this site, but this will have an impact on the site, as described in the information below.

To make it clearer for you, we’ve divided how we use cookies into four different categories:

  • Setting-based: this type of cookie is used to remember a setting or preference, such as a colour or the size of text on a page.
  • Feature-based: this type of cookie is used to remember information about a feature on a page, such as the fact that you’ve watched a video clip or listened to an audio file previously.
  • Function-based: this type of cookie is used to remember information about how you use a website, and provide analytical information to site administrators.
  • Third-party: this type of cookie is created by a third-party, and can also fall under the categories of Setting, Feature and Functional. Where third-party cookies are present on our sites, we will attempt to be as upfront and clear as possible about their intended purpose.

How to enable and disable cookies using your browser

Google Chrome

  • Click on the ‘wrench’ icon on the browser (usually found top-right corner) to open the tools menu
  • From the tools menu select ‘Options’
  • Click the ‘Under the Hood’ tab from the menu on the left.
  • In the ‘Privacy’ section, select the ‘Content settings’ button
  • To enable cookies: select ‘Allow local data to be set’ option
  • To disable cookies: select ‘Block all cookies’ option
  • Note there are various levels of cookie enablement and disablement in Chrome. For more information on other cookie settings offered in Chrome, refer to the following page from Google:http://support.google.com/chrome/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=95647

Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0, 7.0, 8.0

  • Click on Tools at the top of your browser window and select Internet Options
  • In the options window navigate to the Privacy tab
  • To enable cookies: Set the slider to ‘Medium’ or below
  • To disable cookies: Move the slider to the top to block all cookies
  • Note there are various levels of cookie enablement and disablement in Explorer. For more information on other cookie settings offered in Internet Explorer, refer to the following page from Microsoft:http://windows.microsoft.com/en-GB/windows-vista/Block-or-allow-cookies

Mozilla Firefox

  • Click on Tools at the browser menu and select ‘Options’
  • Select the Privacy panel
  • To enable cookies: Check ‘Accept cookies for sites’
  • To disable cookies: Uncheck at ‘Accept cookies for sites’
  • Note there are various levels of cookie enablement and disablement in Firefox. For more information, refer to the following page from Mozilla:http://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/Enabling%20and%20disabling%20cookies

Opera

  • Click on ‘Setting’ at the browser menu and select Settings
  • Select ‘Quick Preferences’
  • To enable cookies: check “Enable Cookies”
  • To disable cookies: uncheck “Enable Cookies”
  • Note there are various levels of cookie enablement and disablement in Opera. For more information on other cookie settings offered in Opera, refer to the following page from Opera Software:http://www.opera.com/browser/tutorials/security/privacy/

Safari on OSX

  • Click on Safari at the menu bar and select the Preferences option
  • Click on Security
  • To enable cookies: In the Accept cookies section select Only from site you navigate to
  • To disable cookies: In the ‘Accept cookies’ section select ‘Never’
  • Note there are various levels of cookie enablement and disablement in Safari. For more information on other cookie settings offered in Safari, refer to the following page from Apple:http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=Safari/3.0/en/9277.html

All other browsers

Please look for a “help” function in the browser or contact the browser provider.