Can the Police share information about me to other people?

The Police should not disclose the personal information they hold about you unless one of the exceptions under in principle 11 of the Privacy Act applies or another law allows them to share.

A commonly used exception is when you give consent for your information to be shared. For example, if you apply for a job that requires a criminal background check and you consent to Police carrying out a ‘Police Vet’ and sharing that information with your potential employer. ‘Police vet’ is a review of all the information held by the Police relating to an applicant.

The Police can also disclose information as necessary during criminal investigations or to protect people’s safety.

If the Police have shared your information and you are unhappy about this, you should contact the Police(external link) in the first instance to raise your concerns and ask them to explain why they have disclosed your information.

If you’re not satisfied with the response, and believe the disclosure has caused you harm of some kind, then you can make a complaint to us.

Updated October 2025