You may be able to find out if someone is in Police custody by filling out our online form.

What you need to provide

When you fill out the form, you’ll need to tell us:

• your name, date of birth and contact details
• the name and date of birth of the person you are inquiring about.

We need these details to ensure we identify the correct person and check if they have given us permission to share their custody information with you.

This means that if you can’t provide this information, we won’t be able to help you.

Custody query form

What happens after you submit the online form

Everyone has the right to privacy. This means that, under the Privacy Act 2020, if the person you are inquiring about is in Police custody but has not agreed to Police sharing any information then we can’t give you any details.

Please don't:

• request an update – we don’t take custody queries over the phone
• submit another query for the same person.

You can also keep calling the person’s phone and leave messages asking them to call you back.

Different types of custody

If you think someone is in custody but you’re not sure where, you can also:

• visit the Department of Corrections website and fill out a form: Seeking the location of a person in prison – Department of Corrections
• contact the courts – call 0800 268 787 or visit: Find us – Ministry of Justice