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Police Act 1964

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Police Act 1964 is up to date with all changes known to be in force on or before 26 February 2025. There are changes that may be brought into force at a future date. Help about Changes to Legislation

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  1. Introductory Text

  2. Part I Organisation of Police Forces

    1. County, county borough and combined forces

      1. 1. Police areas.

      2. 2A. Police authorities for metropolitan counties and Northumbria police area.

    2. Forces outside London

      1. 2. Maintenance of police forces.

      2. 3. Establishment of police authorities.

      3. 3A. Membership of police authorities etc.

      4. 3B. Reductions in size of police authorities.

      5. 4. General functions of police authorities.

      6. 4A. Local policing objectives.

      7. 4B. Local policing plans.

      8. 4C. Annual reports by police authorities.

      9. 5. General functions of chief constables.

      10. 5A. Appointment and removal of chief constables.

      11. 6. Assistant chief constables.

      12. 6A. Deputy chief constables— supplementary.

      13. 7. Other members of police forces.

      14. 8. Police fund.

      15. 8A. Supply of goods and services.

      16. 9. Acquisition of land.

      17. 10. Civilian employees.

      18. 10A. Appointment of clerk.

      19. 10B. Appointment of persons not employed by police authorities.

      20. 11. Questions on police matters at council meetings.

    3. General provisions

      1. 12. Reports by chief constables to police authorities.

      2. 13. Collaboration agreements.

      3. 14. Aid of one police force by another.

      4. 15. Provision of special services.

      5. 15A. Provision of advice and assistance to international organisations etc.

      6. 16. Special constables.

      7. 17. Police cadets.

      8. 18. Attestation of constables.

      9. 19. Jurisdiction of constables.

      10. 20. Rewards for diligence.

    4. Amalgamations

      1. 21. Power to alter police areas by order.

      2. 21A. Alteration of Welsh police areas on local government reorganisation.

      3. 21B. Objections to alterations proposed by Secretary of State.

      4. 21C. Orders altering police areas: supplementary provisions.

      5. 22. Amendment and revocation of schemes.

      6. 23. Alteration of local government areas.

      7. 24. Adaptation of local Acts.

    5. Miscellaneous and supplemental

      1. 25.Cambridge and Peterborough.

      2. 26. The Scilly Isles.

      3. 27. Interpretation of Part I.

  3. Part II Central Supervision, Direction and Facilities

    1. Functions of Secretary of State

      1. 28. General duty of Secretary of State.

      2. 28A. Setting of objectives for police authorities.

      3. 28B. Setting of performance targets.

      4. 28C. Codes of practice.

      5. 28D. Power to give directions to police authorities after adverse reports.

      6. 29. Removal of chief constables &c.

      7. 29A. Reports from police authorities.

      8. 30. Reports from chief constables.

      9. 31. Police grant.

      10. 31A. Grants for capital expenditure.

      11. 31B. Grants for expenditure on safeguarding national security.

      12. 32. Local inquiries.

      13. 33. Regulations for police forces.

      14. 34. Regulations for special constables.

      15. 35. Regulations for police cadets.

      16. 36. Regulations as to standard of equipment.

      17. 37. Disciplinary appeals to Secretary of State.

  4. Part III Police Representative Institutions

    1. 44. Police Federations.

    2. 45. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

    3. 46. Police Advisory Boards for England and Wales and for Scotland.

    4. 47. Membership of trade unions.

  5. Part IV Miscellaneous and General

    1. Remedies and complaints against police

      1. 48. Liability for wrongful acts of constables.

      2. 49 - 50. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

    2. Offences

      1. 51. Assaults on constables.

      2. 52. Impersonation, &c.

      3. 53. Causing disaffection.

      4. 53A. Grants by local authorities.

      5. 53B. Acceptance of gifts and loans.

      6. 53C. Police officers engaged on service outside their force.

    3. Miscellaneous

      1. 54. Criminal statistics.

      2. 55. Abolition of fees.

      3. 56. Metropolitan and City of London police funds.

      4. 57. Police expenses of counties falling partly within the metropolitan police district.

      5. 58. Chief constables affected by amalgamations or local government reorganisations.

      6. 59. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

    4. Supplemental

      1. 60. Orders, rules and regulations.

      2. 61. Expenses.

      3. 62. Meaning of “police area” &c.

      4. 63. Minor and consequential amendments.

      5. 64. Interpretation, repeals and transitional provisions.

      6. 65. Short title, commencement and extent.

  6. SCHEDULES

    1. Schedule 1A

      POLICE AREAS

      1. 1.In relation to a combined police authority constituted as a...

      2. 2.Subsections (6) and (7) of section 2 shall apply to...

      3. 3.Notwithstanding anything in section 21(3) and Schedule 8, there shall...

      4. 4.Sections 8(2) and 9(3) shall not apply, and subsections (3)...

      5. 5.The council of the county . . . shall have...

      6. 6.Any provision made under section 21(3)(e) may be for transfer...

      7. 7.In relation to an amalgamation scheme to be approved or...

      8. England (except London)

      9. Wales

    2. Schedule 1B

      POLICE AUTHORITIES ESTABLISHED UNDER SECTION 3

      1. Membership of police authorities

        1. 1.(1) Where, by virtue of section 3A of this Act,...

      2. Appointment of members by relevant councils

        1. 2.(1) In the case of a police authority in relation...

        2. 3.The number of members of the joint committee, and the...

        3. 4.(1) A council or joint committee shall exercise its power...

      3. Appointment of independent members

        1. 5.The members of a police authority referred to in paragraph...

        2. 6.(1) Every police authority shall arrange for a notice stating—...

      4. Appointment of magistrates

        1. 7.The members of a police authority referred to in paragraph...

        2. 8.(1) Where there is a panel for an area which...

        3. 9.In relation to any appointment made at a time when...

      5. Chairman

        1. 10.(1) A police authority shall at each annual meeting appoint...

      6. Disqualification

        1. 11.A person shall be disqualified for being appointed as a...

        2. 12.(1) Subject to sub-paragraphs (3) and (4) of this paragraph,...

        3. 13.Without prejudice to paragraphs 11 and 12 of this Schedule,...

        4. 14.(1) Without prejudice to paragraphs 11 and 12 of this...

        5. 15.(1) Without prejudice to paragraphs 11 and 12 of this...

      7. Tenure of office

        1. 16.Subject to the following paragraphs (and to the provisions of...

        2. 17.(1) A person shall be appointed to hold office as...

        3. 18.(1) A person may at any time resign his office...

        4. 19.(1) A member of a relevant council appointed to be...

        5. 20.(1) A police authority may remove a member from office...

        6. 21.A council or joint committee may remove from office a...

        7. 22.If a chairman of a police authority ceases to be...

      8. Eligibility for re-appointment

        1. 23.A person who ceases to be a member, otherwise than...

      9. Validity of acts

        1. 24.The acts and proceedings of any person appointed to be...

        2. 25.The proceedings of a police authority shall not be invalidated...

      10. Allowances

        1. 26.(1) A police authority may make to its chairman and...

      11. Interpretation

        1. 27.(1) For the purposes of this Schedule, a council is...

    3. Schedule 1C

      POLICE AUTHORITIES: SELECTION OF INDEPENDENT MEMBERS

      1. Selection panels

        1. 1.(1) There shall be a selection panel for each police...

        2. 2.A person shall be disqualified for being appointed as or...

        3. 3.(1) A person shall be appointed to hold office as...

        4. 4.A member of a selection panel may be removed from...

        5. 5.A person who ceases to be a member of a...

        6. 6.(1) The acts and proceedings of any person appointed to...

        7. 7.(1) A police authority shall make to members of the...

      2. Functions of selection panel

        1. 8.(1) Where appointments to a police authority are to be...

        2. 9.A person shall not be nominated under paragraph 8 of...

        3. 10.In exercising their functions a selection panel shall have regard...

        4. 11.(1) The Secretary of State may make regulations as to—...

      3. Secretary of State’s short-list

        1. 12.(1) Where the Secretary of State receives a notice under...

        2. 13.(1) This paragraph has effect where the number of persons...

        3. 14.The Secretary of State shall give to the designated members...

    4. SCHEDULE 2

      Form of Declaration

    5. SCHEDULE 3

      Procedure in respect of amalgamation schemes made by Secretary of State

      1. 1.Where the Secretary of State proposes to make an amalgamation...

      2. 2.Where any of the authorities to whom notice is required...

      3. 3.Subject to paragraph 3A belowif, within the period specified in...

      4. 3A.If, in a case where a notice of objection with...

      5. 4.Where such an inquiry has been held, the Secretary of...

      6. 5.Subsections (2) and (3) of section 250 of the Local...

      7. 6.Where the Secretary of State proposes to make an amalgamation...

    6. SCHEDULE 4

      Transitory Provisions for Amalgamation Schemes

      1. Constables and cadets

        1. 1.(1) All members of a transferred force who are transferred...

        2. 2.Where, immediately before the date of transfer—

      2. Staff and assets

        1. 3.(1) Where any officers or servants, property, rights or liabilities...

      3. Pending proceedings

        1. 4.(1) Where, immediately before the date of transfer, proceedings were...

      4. Superannuation

        1. 5.(1) . . . . . . . . ....

      5. Registers

        1. 6.Any register, or the appropriate part of any register, kept...

      6. Supplementary

        1. 7. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

        2. 8.In this Schedule— “date of transfer” means the date on...

    7. SCHEDULE 5

      Disciplinary Appeals

      1. Notice of appeal

        1. 1.Any appeal under section 37 of this Act (in this...

      2. Respondent

        1. 2.(1) On any appeal under the principal section against the...

      3. Inquiries

        1. 3.(1) The Secretary of State may appoint three persons to...

      4. Notice and effect of orders

        1. 4.(1) A copy of any order made by the Secretary...

      5. Rules

        1. 5.(1) The Secretary of State may make rules as to...

    8. SCHEDULES 6

      . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

    9. SCHEDULES 7

      . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

    10. SCHEDULE 8

      Meaning of Police Area, &c.

    11. SCHEDULE 9

      Minor and Consequential Amendments

    12. SCHEDULE 10

      . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

    13. SCHEDULE 11

      Transitional Provisions

      1. Police authorities

        1. 1.On the date on which the police authority for a...

        2. 2.Anything done before the said date by, to or before...

        3. 3.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

        4. 4.(1) Where, for the purposes of any such statutory provision...

      2. Amalgamation schemes

        1. 5.Any amalgamation scheme approved or made under the Police Act...

        2. 6.Without prejudice to section 22 of this Act, the Secretary...

        3. 7—13.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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