If you were charged with a criminal offence by the Greater Sudbury Police Service, you may request the destruction of your fingerprints and photograph, and have the associated charges sealed from police records.

Eligibility Criteria

You must be at least eighteen (18) years of age or older and the following timelines have elapsed:

  • Stayed Charges
    • At least one (1) year has elapsed from the date the stay was imposed, provided that the stayed charge has not been proceeded with.
  • Acquittal on Charges
    • Destroy on the expiration of two (2) months after the expiration of the time allowed for the taking of an appeal or where an appeal is taken on expiration of three (3) months after all proceedings in respect of an appeal having been completed.
  • Withdrawn or Dismissed (other than by acquittal)
    • At least thirty (30) days (appeal period) have elapsed from the disposition date.
  • Withdrawn upon entering into a Peace Bond
    • The peace bond has expired which is normally one (1) year from the disposition date.

If you participated in and completed a diversion program, your charges are deemed to have been withdrawn (therefore you may request consideration for removal of your fingerprints and photograph).

Application and Process

All requests for the destruction of identification records must be made by the person to whom the records belong, or by an authorized representative (such as a solicitor). Request for Destruction of Identification Records must be submitted in writing and include payment according to our current Fees for Services. Requests cannot be expedited.

Identification records will be retained for a minimum of five (5) years if the charges were disposed of by a verdict of Not Criminally Responsible (NCR) due to a mental disorder.

If you received an absolute discharge, your fingerprints and photographs will be considered for removal one year after the court decision.
If you received a conditional discharge, they will be considered for removal three years after your probation period has ended.

Your identification record will not be destroyed if:

  • The offence type or other information on file raises serious public‑safety concerns and you are assessed as continuing to pose a substantial risk.
  • You were convicted of the charge for which the identification was taken, or if you have other convictions or pending charges before the courts.
  • The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) denies the request.

Under no circumstances will you be provided with your identification records.

Please note that once your request is submitted, processing may take one to two years. This timeframe is due to the required return of fingerprints from the national repository maintained by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).

A member of Customer Service will notify you in writing once your request is complete, using the mailing address provided. If your address changes during the process, please contact Customer Service at 705‑675‑9171, extension 6622, to ensure the notification is sent to the correct address.

Appeals

If you are not satisfied with the decision to retain your identification record, you may appeal the decision within 60 days of receiving the written notice.

Fees for Services

Effective January 1, 2026, the Fees for Services provided by the Greater Sudbury Police Service as approved by the Police Services Board.

*As per Bill 13, amendments to the Police Record Checks Reform Act (PRCRA) allow police services to provide volunteer Criminal Record Checks (CRC) and volunteer Criminal Record and Judicial Matters Checks (CRJMC) at no charge, when a valid volunteer letter from the organization is submitted.

Please note that expedited service is not available for:

  • Record Suspension applications
  • Destruction of Fingerprint and Photograph Records
  • Insurance Confirmation Requests