38.—(1) This regulation applies where the relevant appropriate authority determines that there should be an investigation by a police force into an indication that a relevant officer, relevant official of the Secretary of State or an official exercising customs revenue functions may have committed a criminal offence in connection with a complaint, recordable conduct matter or DSI matter.
(2) The relevant appropriate authority shall identify the police force whose force area includes the geographical area to which the subject matter of the complaint, recordable conduct matter or DSI matter most closely relates, and take steps to obtain the agreement of the chief officer of police of that force to the appointment of that force to carry out the investigation.
(3) In the event that no agreement is reached under paragraph (2) the relevant appropriate authority may require the chief officer of police of any police force it considers appropriate to carry out the investigation.
(4) A chief officer of police of a police force who agrees to or is required to carry out an investigation shall, if that person has not already done so, appoint a person serving with the police who is a member of that force to investigate that complaint.
(5) Paragraphs (3) to (5) and (7) of regulation 40 (investigations supervised by the IPCC) shall apply as they apply to an investigation by the relevant appropriate authority which the IPCC has determined is one that it should supervise and the references to the relevant appropriate authority in those paragraphs shall be treated as references to the chief officer of police concerned.
(6) An appointment of a person under paragraph (4) or (5) shall be notified by the chief of police concerned to the relevant appropriate authority. The IPCC may require that no appointment is made under paragraph (4) unless it has given notice to the chief officer that it approves the person serving with the police whom he proposes to appoint.
(7) The person appointed to investigate the complaint or matter shall, in relation to an investigation under the management of the IPCC, be under the direction and control of the IPCC.
(8) The person appointed to investigate the complaint or matter shall comply with all such requirements in relation to the carrying out of that investigation as may be imposed by these Regulations.