New Code of Professional Standards for police officers

A working party of the Police Advisory Board has drawn up a proposed new Code of Professional Standards for police officers, which is intended to replace the current Code of Conduct in Schedule 1 of the Police (Conduct) Regulations 2004.

The new Code of Professional Standards will apply to all police officers and special constables. It is expected that a similar code for police staff will also be produced in the near future.

The proposed new Code has been published for a public consultation period, which will run until May 19, 2006.

The Code of Professional Standards sets out 10 principles that reflect the expectations that the police service and the public have of how police officers should behave. The principles are:

• Responsibility and Accountability – Police officers are personally responsible and accountable for their actions or omissions.
• Honesty and Integrity – Police officers are honest, act with integrity and do not compromise or abuse their position.
• Lawful Orders – Police officers obey lawful orders and refrain from carrying out any orders they know, or ought to know, are unlawful. Police officers abide by the law.
• Use of Force – When police officers use force it is only to the extent that is necessary and reasonable to obtain a legitimate objective.
• Authority, Respect and Courtesy – Police officers do not abuse their powers or authority and respect the rights of all individuals. Police officers act with self-control and tolerance, treating members of the public and colleagues with respect and courtesy.
• Equality – Police officers act with fairness and impartiality. They do not discriminate unlawfully on the grounds of sex, race, colour, language, religion or belief, political or other opinion, national or social origin, association with a national minority, disability, age, sexual orientation, property, birth or other status.
• Confidentiality – Police officers treat information with respect and access or disclose it only for a legitimate police purpose.
• Fitness for Duty – Police officers, when on duty or presenting themselves for duty, are fit to carry out their responsibilities.
• General Conduct – Police officers, on duty, act in a professional way. Police officers do not behave in a manner which brings, or is likely to bring, discredit on the police service or that undermines or is likely to undermine public confidence in the police, whether on or off duty. Police officers report any action taken against them for a criminal offence, conditions imposed by a court or the receipt of any penalty notice.
• Challenging and Reporting Improper Conduct – Police officers challenge and when appropriate take action or report breaches of this Code and the improper conduct of colleagues.

In connection with the Code of Professional Standards, a guidance document has been produced which expands on the principles to try and assist police officers and the public to understand more clearly which types of conduct are unacceptable.

It is also intended that the guidance will assist police managers and police professional standards departments to interpret the Code in a consistent way, when deciding whether an officer has acted in breach of the Code and whether disciplinary action should be taken. However, the guidance is not intended to be a definitive interpretation of the Code, as it is intended to be eventually issued by the Secretary of State in accordance with the provisions of Section 87 of the Police Act 1996.

Those who are responsible for administering the procedures described in the guidance will be required to take its provisions fully into account when discharging their functions and should not depart from it without good reason.

Some of the main points in the guidance include:

In respect of Responsibility and Accountability

• When deciding if a police officer has neglected their duties all of the circumstan