# Counter-Terrorism Act 2008, Section 18B: Retention for purposes of national security

Extent: E+W+S+N.I.

(1) Section 18 material which is not a DNA sample may be retained for as long as a national security determination made by the responsible officer , or by a chief officer of police, has effect in relation to it.
(2) A national security determination is made if the responsible officer , or a chief officer of police, determines that it is necessary for any such section 18 material to be retained for the purposes of national security.
(3) A national security determination—
(a) must be made in writing,
(b) has effect for a maximum of 5 years beginning with the date on which the determination is made, and
(c) may be renewed.
(4) In this section “chief officer of police” means a person other than the responsible officer who is—
(a) the chief officer of police of a police force in England and Wales, or
(b) the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2008/28/section/18B (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/counter-terrorism-act-2008/section-18B
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.