Privacy Policy

Last Updated: October 2026

1. Introduction

Welcome to crime-stats.co.uk. We are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring that your personal data is handled securely and in compliance with applicable laws. For users in the European Economic Area that is the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). For users in the United Kingdom it is the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

This policy covers the website, the reports it produces and the CrimeStats Widget when it is embedded on another organisation's website.

2. Data We Collect

We collect and process the following categories of personal data:

• Account Information: Email addresses and hashed passwords provided during account registration.
• Subscription Information: If you subscribe, the customer and subscription references issued by Stripe and the status of your subscription. Card details are handled by Stripe and never reach our servers (see Section 6).
• Search Information: The address, Eircode or postcode you search and a hashed version of it, the local area it resolved to, the time of the search and whether it succeeded. A search is linked to your browser session and, if you are logged in, to your account. Searches made through the CrimeStats Widget also record the website the widget was embedded on.
• Report Delivery: The email address you give us when you buy a single report, so that we can send the report to you.
• Technical Data: IP addresses, browser types, operating systems, and usage data collected automatically when you use our website.
• Partner Link Clicks: When you follow a link to one of our partners, we record which link it was, the page you were on and the time, linked to your browser session and, if you are logged in, to your account.
• Payment Information: Payment details processed securely by Stripe (see Section 6).

The crime statistics we publish are aggregated figures for whole areas and do not identify individuals.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use your data for the following purposes:

• To create and manage your account.
• To authenticate your login credentials securely.
• To carry out the searches you request and to send you the reports you buy.
• To process payments for subscription plans or premium reports.
• To apply the limit on free searches and protect the site from abuse and spam, including via Google reCAPTCHA.
• To monitor website performance and usage, including via Google Analytics, and to improve the service.
• To show advertising to visitors who do not have a subscription.
• To comply with legal obligations and enforce our Terms of Use.

4. Searches and Address Lookup

To find the local area for an address, we send the text you search to Google's Geocoding service, which returns its location. We do not send your account details with it. Google processes this data in accordance with its Privacy Policy.

To apply the limit on free searches we temporarily hold your IP address together with a shortened hash of your browser's user-agent. This is deleted automatically within hours.

5. Password Security

We take the security of your account seriously. Passwords are stored using industry-standard hashing algorithms (e.g., PBKDF2 with a unique salt for each password). This ensures that your password is never stored in plain text and cannot be retrieved in its original form.

We recommend that you use a strong, unique password and update it regularly to further protect your account.

6. Payment Processing

All payments on crime-stats.co.uk are processed securely by Stripe. We do not store or process your payment information on our servers. Stripe may collect and process the following data:

• Payment card details (e.g., card number, expiry date, CVV).
• Billing address and contact information.
• Transaction details (e.g., amount, date, and time).

Stripe processes this data in accordance with its Privacy Policy. By making a payment, you agree to Stripe's terms and conditions.

7. Third Parties We Share Data With

We do not sell your personal data. We share it only with the service providers that help us run the website:

• Google: Geocoding (the addresses you search), Analytics (usage data), reCAPTCHA (abuse prevention), AdSense (advertising shown to visitors without a subscription) and our email service.
• Stripe: Payment processing.
• Hosting providers: Heroku and Amazon Web Services host the website, its database and its files.
• Esri (ArcGIS): Supplies the maps. When a map is displayed, your browser requests map images directly from Esri, which receives your IP address.
• YouTube and Acast: Some pages embed video or audio. Your browser connects to these providers when such a page loads.
• CookieFirst: Records your cookie choices (see Section 13).

If you use the CrimeStats Widget on another organisation's website, that organisation is responsible for its own use of your data. The widget tells that website when a search has finished, so that the page can respond, but does not pass on the address you searched.

8. Lawful Basis for Processing

We process your personal data based on the following legal grounds:

• Contractual Necessity: To provide the services you request, such as account creation, searches, reports and payment processing.
• Legitimate Interests: To maintain a secure and functional website, prevent abuse, and understand how the service is used so that we can improve it.
• Consent: For non-essential cookies, including analytics and advertising cookies. You can withdraw consent at any time (see Section 13).
• Legal Obligations: To comply with applicable laws and regulations.

9. Data Retention

We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy or as required by law. For example:

• Account information is retained for the duration of your account's existence.
• Payment records are retained in accordance with tax and accounting laws.
• Search records are retained for as long as they are needed to monitor and improve the service.
• Data held to apply the free search limit is deleted automatically within hours.
• Technical data is retained in accordance with Google Analytics' policies.

10. Your Rights

Under the GDPR and the UK GDPR, you have the following rights:

• Access: Request access to the personal data we hold about you.
• Correction: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Deletion: Request deletion of your data, subject to legal obligations.
• Objection: Object to the processing of your data under certain circumstances.
• Portability: Request a copy of your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
• Complaint: Lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority. In Ireland this is the Data Protection Commission at dataprotection.ie. In the United Kingdom it is the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk.

To exercise your rights, contact us at [email protected].

11. International Data Transfers

Data processed by third parties such as Google, Stripe and our hosting providers may be transferred outside the European Economic Area (EEA) and the United Kingdom. These transfers are protected by Standard Contractual Clauses or equivalent safeguards.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any material changes will be clearly posted on this page along with the updated effective date above.

13. Cookie Policy

We use cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience on crime-stats.co.uk. Cookies are small text files stored on your device that help us provide a better user experience, analyze website traffic, and deliver personalized content.

Cookie Management with CookieFirst

We use CookieFirst as our cookie management consent provider. CookieFirst ensures that we comply with applicable privacy laws, including GDPR, by allowing you to manage your cookie preferences easily. When you visit our website, you will see a cookie consent banner powered by CookieFirst, where you can:

• Accept all cookies.
• Reject non-essential cookies.
• Customize your cookie preferences.

Your preferences are stored securely and can be updated at any time by clicking the "Cookie Settings" link in the footer of our website.

Types of Cookies We Use

• Essential Cookies: These cookies are necessary for the website to function properly. They keep you logged in, protect forms from misuse, and record that you have used your free search for the day.
• Analytics Cookies: We use Google Analytics to collect anonymized data about how users interact with our website. This helps us improve our services.
• Advertising Cookies: Visitors without a subscription are shown advertising through Google AdSense, which may use cookies to choose and measure adverts.
• Third-Party Cookies: Cookies from third-party services like Stripe may be used to process payments securely.

Managing Cookies

You can manage or disable cookies through your browser settings or by using the CookieFirst consent banner. Please note that disabling cookies may affect the functionality of certain features on our website.

More Information

For more details about cookies, visit CookieFirst.

14. Contact Information

If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at:

Email: [email protected]