Recordable offence

A recordable offence is any offence in England and Wales where the police must keep records of convictions and offenders on the Police [National Computer].

Legislation

The power for police to keep such records is contained in the National Police Records Regulations 2000. This states that a 'crime recordable offence' is an offence which must be recorded as a conviction on the PNC.
Recordable offences include any offence punishable by imprisonment, plus at least 50 non-imprisonable offences, such as:

nuisance communications
tampering with motor vehicles
firearms, air weapons, knives
football offences
causing harm or danger to children
drunkenness
poaching
failing to provide a specimen of breath, and
taking a pedal cycle without owner's consent

A full, lengthy, list of recordable offences is available, provided by ACPO as an Appendix to their Retention Guidelines for Nominal Records on the Police National Computer.

Further police powers

Where a person has been arrested for a recordable offence, police may fingerprint and take non-intimate DNA samples from suspects without authorisation from senior ranks.