Police Reform Act 2002

2 Codes of practice for chief officers E+W

After section 39 of the 1996 Act (codes of practice for police authorities) there shall be inserted—

“39A Codes of practice for chief officers

(1) If the Secretary of State considers it necessary to do so for the purpose of promoting the efficiency and effectiveness generally of the police forces maintained for police areas in England and Wales, he may issue codes of practice relating to the discharge of their functions by the chief officers of police of those forces.

(2) The Secretary of State may from time to time revise the whole or any part of a code of practice issued under this section.

(3) Where the Secretary of State proposes to issue or revise a code of practice under this section, he shall first require the Central Police Training and Development Authority to prepare a draft of the code or of the revisions; and the draft prepared by that Authority must contain all such matters as the Secretary of State may specify in the requirement.

(4) Before preparing a draft code of practice under this section or any draft revisions of such a code, the Central Police Training and Development Authority shall consult with—

(a) persons whom it considers to represent the interests of police authorities;

(b) persons whom it considers to represent the interests of chief officers of police; and

(c) such other persons as it thinks fit.

(5) The Secretary of State shall lay any code of practice issued by him under this section, and any revision of any such code, before Parliament.

(6) The Secretary of State shall not be required by subsection (5) to lay before Parliament, or may exclude from what he does so lay, anything the publication of which, in his opinion—

(a) would be against the interests of national security;

(b) could prejudice the prevention or detection of crime or the apprehension or prosecution of offenders; or

(c) could jeopardise the safety of any person.

(7) In discharging any function to which a code of practice under this section relates, a chief officer of police shall have regard to the code.”