How Patrol Companion handles your data, the terms for using the app and revision notes, and the limits of what they can be relied on for. Last updated 5 October 2026.
Who we are. Patrol Companion is run by a sole trader based in the United Kingdom, trading as Patrol Companion ("we", "us"). We are the controller of the personal information described in this policy. This policy explains what the app stores, what it sends to other services and why. It applies to the Patrol Companion app for Android and iOS and this website. Contact: support@patrolcompanion.co.uk.
Data kept on your phone only. Patrol Companion does not need an account. The following are stored only on your phone and are never sent to us: your shifts and shift notes, overtime and pay settings, notes and drawings, to-do list, expenses, favourites, custody, bail and STL tracker entries, the contacts you add, Map Tools location log entries, and your settings. We cannot see, recover or delete this data for you.
If you use Back up my data, the app creates a file on your phone and you choose where to save or send it. We do not receive a copy. Anyone with the file can read its contents, so keep it somewhere secure.
You can delete this data at any time by clearing it within the app, clearing the app's storage in your phone's settings, or uninstalling the app. If you lose your phone or uninstall the app without a backup, the data cannot be recovered.
Location. The app uses your location only when you open Find Me, use Map Tools, or ask it to find your position. It is used while the app is open and never in the background, and it is not sent to us.
To show your address, postcode and nearby road names, your coordinates are sent to OpenStreetMap data services: an address lookup service and the Overpass service. Map images are loaded from a map tile service, which receives the area of the map being viewed. If you search for a place or postcode in Map Tools, the search is sent to postcodes.io (postcodes) or the address lookup service (place names). These services receive your device's IP address with each request and handle it under their own privacy policies. If we change any of these providers, this policy will be updated.
Anonymous usage statistics. The app sends anonymous usage statistics, such as which screens are opened, and technical error reports if something goes wrong. This is switched on by default. When you first open the app you are told about it, and you can turn it off then or at any time in Settings. It uses no cookies and stores nothing on your phone for this purpose. We use PostHog, with data hosted in the EU. It does not include anything you type, your shifts, notes, contacts or location, or your name or email address. PostHog is set to discard your device's IP address rather than store it. We use the statistics to decide what to improve.
Feedback. If you send feedback from the app, your message, the type of feedback and, if you choose to give it, your email address are sent to us through Formspree, a form-handling service. We use them only to read and reply to your feedback. Please do not include operational details or anyone's personal information.
Subscriptions. Patrol Companion Pro is bought through the Apple App Store or Google Play. Payment is handled entirely by Apple or Google under their own privacy policies. We do not receive your name or payment details. The app checks with the store whether your subscription is active.
Legal content updates. When your phone is online, the app checks our website for updated legal content. This works like visiting a web page: the request includes your device's IP address, which our website hosting provider may keep briefly in its server logs. No other information is sent.
Buying the revision notes. Payments for the NPPF revision notes are processed by Payhip. Payhip passes us your email address and purchase details, which we use to deliver your copy and which are printed on it. We do not see or store your card details.
Where your information is processed. PostHog stores usage statistics in the EU. Some of the other services named in this policy, including Formspree and our website hosting provider, may process information in the United States or other countries outside the UK. Where personal information is transferred outside the UK, it is protected in the ways UK data protection law requires, such as UK adequacy regulations or the provider's data protection terms.
Keeping information secure. Everything the app sends uses encrypted connections (HTTPS), and each feature sends only the information it needs. Information stored on your phone is protected by your phone's own security, so keep your phone locked with a passcode, fingerprint or face recognition. No method of sending or storing information is completely secure.
Why we use this information. We rely on our legitimate interest in understanding how the app is used and fixing faults for usage statistics, which you can turn off at any time, and on your permission for location, which you can withdraw in your phone's settings. We handle feedback because you have chosen to send it to us, and to reply, and revision-note purchases to supply what you bought. We do not sell your data, share it for advertising or use it to build a profile of you.
How long we keep it. Feedback messages, and any email address you give with them, are deleted within 12 months of our last reply, unless we need them for longer to deal with a complaint or legal claim. Purchase records for the revision notes are kept for as long as the law requires for accounting. Individual usage statistics are deleted after 12 months. After that we keep only overall figures that cannot identify anyone.
Your rights. Under UK data protection law you can ask to see, correct or delete personal information we hold about you, ask for a copy to move elsewhere, object to or restrict how we use it, and withdraw your permission at any time where we rely on it. Email support@patrolcompanion.co.uk and we will reply within one month. Because most of your data stays on your phone, we usually hold very little information about you. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk.
Other websites. The app links to official sources and to support services run by other organisations. Their own privacy policies apply when you visit them.
Users under 18. Patrol Companion is intended for police officers, staff and people training to join the police. It is not aimed at children.
Changes. If this policy changes, the date at the top of this page will be updated. Please check it from time to time.
About these terms. These terms are an agreement between you and the sole trader who runs Patrol Companion ("we", "us"). They apply to the Patrol Companion app and to this website. By downloading, opening or using the app, you agree to them. If you do not agree, do not use the app.
How you may use the app. You may use Patrol Companion as a personal reference, learning and productivity tool. You must not:
Patrol Companion Pro. Pro is an optional auto-renewing subscription (monthly or yearly), bought through the Apple App Store or Google Play. New subscribers get a free trial. Unless you cancel at least 24 hours before the trial or current period ends, your store account is charged the price shown in the store at the time of purchase for the plan you chose, and the subscription renews at the end of each month or year, depending on that plan. You can manage or cancel it at any time in your App Store or Google Play account settings. Deleting the app does not cancel your subscription. If the price changes, the app store will tell you before the new price applies, as its rules require. Refunds are handled by Apple or Google under their policies. If a subscription ends, Pro features lock again but data stored on your phone is kept.
Operational use. You are responsible for how you use the information in the app in an operational context. The app supports, but does not replace, your training, professional judgement, supervision, force policy and legal advice. Where force policy or official guidance differs from the app, the force policy or official guidance takes priority. See the Disclaimer for the limits of what the app can be relied on for.
Pay and overtime figures. The pay, overtime, pension and take-home figures are estimates based on published pay scales and standard tax, National Insurance and pension rates. They do not take account of your personal circumstances and are not financial, tax or pension advice. Check your payslip, your force's payroll team or your staff association for the figures that apply to you.
Location and maps. Location, address, postcode and map information comes from your phone and from third-party map data, and it can be inaccurate or out of date. Do not rely on it alone when giving your location to a control room or the emergency services; confirm it using force systems or other means.
Bleep Test and Circuit Timer. These tools involve strenuous exercise. Use them only if you are fit to do so, warm up first, and stop straight away if you feel pain, dizziness or shortness of breath. If you have a health condition or any doubt about your fitness, speak to a doctor or your force's occupational health team first. The app is a practice aid and not an official fitness test.
Welfare and contacts. Welfare services and contact details are provided for convenience and can change. Patrol Companion is not an emergency or crisis service. If someone is in immediate danger, call 999.
Other websites and services. The app links to websites and services run by other organisations, including official sources. We are not responsible for their content, availability, accuracy or privacy practices.
Our content. The app's design and software, and the text, summaries and arrangement of content we have written, belong to us and are protected by copyright and database right. Legislation and other public sector information remain subject to the Open Government Licence, and map data to the Open Database Licence (see Sources). Other names and trade marks belong to their owners.
Availability and changes to the app. The app is provided "as is". We make reasonable efforts to keep it available and accurate, but we do not guarantee that it will always be available, uninterrupted or free from errors. We may update, change or remove features or content, for example to reflect changes in the law or to keep the app secure.
Our responsibility to you. If we fail to comply with these terms or to use reasonable care and skill, we are responsible for loss or damage you suffer that is a foreseeable result of that failure. We are not responsible for loss or damage that is not foreseeable.
To the extent the law allows, we are not responsible for:
Our total responsibility to you for any claim is limited to the amount you paid for Pro in the 12 months before the event that led to the claim.
Nothing in these terms limits or excludes our responsibility for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or for anything else that cannot be limited or excluded by law, and nothing in them affects your legal rights as a consumer.
Changes to these terms. We may change these terms, for example to reflect changes in the law or in the app. The updated terms apply from the date shown at the top of this page. If you keep using the app after a change, you accept the updated terms. If you do not agree, stop using the app and cancel any subscription.
Other important terms. If a court finds part of these terms cannot be enforced, the rest still applies. If we do not enforce a term straight away, we can still enforce it later. We may transfer our rights and obligations under these terms to someone else, for example if the business is sold; this will not reduce your rights.
Law and courts. These terms are governed by the law of England and Wales. Any dispute will be dealt with by the courts of England and Wales, except that if you live in Scotland or Northern Ireland you can also bring proceedings in your home courts.
Apple users. If you downloaded the app from the Apple App Store, Apple's standard Licensed Application End User License Agreement also applies alongside these terms. Apple is not responsible for the app or its content.
Revision notes (PDF). The NPPF revision notes are licensed to the individual buyer for personal use only. Each copy is marked with the buyer's details. You must not copy, share, resell, upload or distribute the notes or any part of them. We may withdraw access to a copy that is shared without permission.
Accuracy of the revision notes. The notes are a revision aid that summarises the NPPF syllabus. Every effort has been made to make them accurate and up to date, but they may contain errors or omissions, and the law and guidance can change after they are written. They are not a replacement for the Blackstone's Police Manuals, legislation or official guidance, which take priority wherever they differ from the notes.
Patrol Companion is an independent reference and learning tool. It is not an official police, government, College of Policing, CPS or other law-enforcement application and is not intended to replace official systems, legislation, statutory guidance, force policy or professional advice.
Every effort is made to keep information accurate and up to date. However, legislation, case law, guidance, procedures and policing policy can change, and there may be a delay before changes are reflected in the app. Information may therefore be incomplete, inaccurate or outdated.
Patrol Companion must not be relied upon as the sole basis for operational decisions, including arrest, detention, search, seizure, use of force, bail, charging or other investigative decisions. Always verify the current law, applicable guidance and force policy before taking action. Where force policy or official guidance differs from the app, the force policy or official guidance takes priority.
The absence of an offence, power, procedure, defence or exception from the app does not mean that it does not exist or apply.
The "Legislation last reviewed" and "Content last updated" dates show when content was last reviewed. They do not guarantee that every item remained current after that date.
The pay and overtime calculators, maps, location tools and fitness timers are estimates and practice aids only. See the Terms of Use.
To the fullest extent permitted by law, Patrol Companion accepts no responsibility for consequences arising from reliance on information contained within the app. Nothing in the app constitutes legal advice. This does not affect the responsibilities set out under "Our responsibility to you" in the Terms of Use, or anything that cannot be excluded by law.
You must not enter confidential, sensitive or case-identifiable information belonging to members of the public into the app.
Patrol Companion is independently developed and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Metropolitan Police Service, College of Policing, Home Office, Crown Prosecution Service or any other police force or government body unless expressly stated.
For support, corrections or questions about this policy, email support@patrolcompanion.co.uk.
Legislation is reproduced from legislation.gov.uk and railway byelaw wording from the Railway Byelaws published by the Department for Transport, in each case containing public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Neither the Department for Transport nor any other government body endorses Patrol Companion.
Maps and address data © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database Licence. Postcode search by postcodes.io: contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right; contains Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right; source: Office for National Statistics, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Airport byelaw entries are written in Patrol Companion's own wording. They are checked against the byelaws published by the relevant airport operator, but no part of the operator's publication is reproduced.
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