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Your Data Rights

The Botswana Police Service ("BPS") is committed to protecting your personal data. Under applicable data protection laws, you have the following rights regarding the personal information we hold about you.

1. Right of Access

You have the right to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you. We will provide this information in a commonly used, machine-readable format where technically feasible.

2. Right to Rectification

If any personal information we hold about you is inaccurate or incomplete, you have the right to request that we correct or complete it. You can update some details directly through your portal profile settings.

3. Right to Erasure

You may request the deletion of your personal data where it is no longer necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, or where you withdraw consent. You can submit a deletion request directly from the portal: Profile → Security → Privacy & Data → Request account deletion. The request is recorded immediately and you can cancel it at any time before it is processed. Please note that certain data may be retained where required by law or for legitimate public interest purposes, such as law enforcement records.

4. Right to Restriction of Processing

You have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal data in certain circumstances, such as when you contest the accuracy of the data or when you object to processing.

5. Right to Data Portability

You can download a machine-readable copy of the personal data held about you — your profile, applications and submitted forms — directly from the portal: Profile → Security → Privacy & Data → Download my data. Where technically feasible, you may also request that your personal data be transferred to another organisation in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format.

6. Right to Object

You have the right to object to the processing of your personal data where it is based on public interest or legitimate interests. BPS will cease processing unless there are compelling legitimate grounds.

7. Right to Withdraw Consent

Where processing is based on your consent, section 28 of the Data Protection Act, 2024 lets you withdraw that consent at any time. Withdrawal does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before it. Every consent you give on the portal is recorded with the date and the Privacy Policy version you were shown, and each is listed with its own withdrawal control under Profile → Security → Privacy & Data:

  • Privacy Notice: this consent underlies your account, so it is withdrawn by submitting an account deletion request from your profile, which has the same effect.
  • Biometric identity verification:withdraw it directly under Privacy & Data. You will no longer be verified by live selfie comparison, and future identity checks will need to be done in person at a police station. You can give it again on the Identity Check page or under Profile → Privacy & Data.
  • Accessibility information (disability data): withdraw it directly under Privacy & Data; the information on your profile is cleared.
  • Parental/guardian attestation: given when a parent or guardian registers or applies on behalf of a person aged 16 or 17 (section 29). Because it is the condition on which that account exists, and it was given by the parent or guardian rather than by the account holder, it cannot be withdrawn online — email the Data Protection Officer.
  • Push notifications:the Portal can register your browser for them, but none are sent at present. You can still remove the registration under Profile → Security at any time.
  • Consent given with an application (for example to fingerprinting for a police clearance): cancel the application before it is decided, or email the Data Protection Officer quoting the application reference.

The portal sets only essential cookies, which need no consent; the "Cookie Settings" link in the footer shows what is set.

8. How to Exercise Your Rights

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us by:

  • Email: dpo@police.gov.bw — please include your full name and the email address or phone number registered on your account. Do not send your Omang or passport number by email; we will verify your identity through a secure channel if needed (see section 10).
  • Post: Data Protection Officer, Botswana Police Service, Police Headquarters, Gaborone, Botswana
  • In person: Visit any police station and request to speak with the Data Protection Officer.

Separately from your own rights as a data subject, section 60 of the Data Protection Act, 2024 entitles any person to ask BPS for the information kept in the record of this portal's processing operations: who the data controller is, the purposes of processing, the categories of data subject and data, the recipients, any transfers abroad, and the security measures. Email the Data Protection Officer with the subject "Record of processing operations" to receive it.

9. Response Timeframe

We will acknowledge your request within 5 working days and provide a substantive response within one month. If your request is complex or we receive a large number of requests, we may extend this by up to a further two months with the Information and Data Protection Commission's approval (section 38(3)–(4) of the Data Protection Act, 2024) — in which case we will notify you of the extension and the reasons for it.

10. Verification

To protect your privacy, we may need to verify your identity before fulfilling a data rights request. You may be asked to provide a valid Omang (national ID) or passport number that matches our records.

11. Limitations

Certain rights may be limited where required by law — for example, where the data is necessary for ongoing law enforcement investigations, legal proceedings, or compliance with statutory obligations. We will inform you of any limitations when responding to your request.

12. Complaints

If you believe your data rights have not been respected, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information and Data Protection Commission, the supervisory authority established under the Data Protection Act, 2024. Decisions of the Commissioner can be appealed to the Information and Data Protection Appeals Tribunal (section 80). You may also contact BPS directly so we can attempt to resolve your concern first.

This page was last updated on 13 September 2026.