The Food Crime Officers (Complaints and Misconduct) Regulations 2025

1. Introductory Text

2. PART 1 Introductory

   1. 1. Citation, commencement and extent

   2. 2. Interpretation

3. PART 2 Complaints and misconduct: general

   1. 3. Application: general

   2. 4. Application of the 2002 Act

   3. 5. Temporary service

   4. 6. General functions of the Director General in relation to officers

   5. 7. General functions of the Office under these Regulations

   6. 8. Efficiency etc. in exercise of functions

   7. 9. Reports to the Secretary of State

   8. 10. Complaints, matters and persons to whom and to which these Regulations apply

   9. 11. General duties of the chief executive

   10. 12. Payments

   11. 13. Payment for assistance with investigations

4. PART 3 Handling of complaints and conduct matters, etc.

   1. 14. Duty to preserve evidence relating to complaints

   2. 15. Initial handling and recording of complaints

   3. 16. Keeping of records by the chief executive

   4. 17. Handling of complaints by the chief executive

   5. 18. Conduct matters arising in civil proceedings

   6. 19. Recording, etc., of conduct matters in other cases

   7. 20. Duty to preserve evidence relating to conduct matters

   8. 21. Complaints against a person who has subsequently ceased to be employed by the FSA

5. PART 4 Referral of matters to the Director General

   1. 22. Recording and reference of conduct and DSI matters

   2. 23. Reference of complaints to the Director General

   3. 24. Power of Director General to treat complaints as having been referred

   4. 25. Duties of the Director General on references under regulation 23 or complaints treated as having been referred under regulation 24

   5. 26. Reference of conduct matters to the Director General

   6. 27. Power of Director General to treat conduct matters as having been referred

   7. 28. Duties of the Director General on references under regulation 26 or conduct matters treated as having been referred under regulation 27

6. PART 5 Handling of DSI matters

   1. 29. Duty to record DSI matters

   2. 30. Duty to preserve evidence relating to DSI matters

   3. 31. Reference of DSI matters to the Director General

   4. 32. Power of Director General to treat DSI matters as having been referred

   5. 33. Duties of Director General on references under regulation 31 or DSI matters treated as having been referred under regulation 32

   6. 34. Procedure where conduct matter is revealed during investigation of DSI matter

7. PART 6 Investigations

   1. 35. Inspections of FSA premises on behalf of the Director General

   2. 36. Power of the Director General to determine the form of an investigation

   3. 37. Appointment of persons to carry out investigations

   4. 38. Timeliness of investigations

   5. 39. Combining and splitting investigations

   6. 40. Withdrawn complaints

   7. 41. Withdrawn complaints: no written signed notification

   8. 42. Investigations by the chief executive on the chief executive’s own behalf

   9. 43. Investigation by a police force or the National Crime Agency under the direction of the Director General

   10. 44. Investigations directed by the Director General

   11. 45. Investigations by the Director General

   12. 46. Change of form of investigation: provision of documentation and evidence

   13. 47. Suspension of investigation or other procedure

   14. 48. Resumption of investigation of complaint after criminal proceedings

   15. 49. Special procedure: severity assessment

   16. 50. Special procedure: notification of severity assessment etc.

   17. 51. Special procedure: FSA friend

   18. 52. Special procedure: revision of severity assessment

   19. 53. Special procedure: representations to the person investigating

   20. 54. Special procedure: interview of the person concerned

   21. 55. Special procedure: duty to provide information to chief executive

   22. 56. Interview of an officer during investigations

   23. 57. Restrictions on proceedings pending the conclusion of an investigation

8. PART 7 Provision of information

   1. 58. Provision of information to the Director General

   2. 59. Duty to keep the complainant informed

   3. 60. Duty to provide information for other persons

   4. 61. Manner in which duties to keep the complainant and interested person informed are to be performed

   5. 62. Exceptions to duties to keep the complainant and interested person informed

   6. 63. Chief executive to notify the Director General of outcome of disciplinary proceedings etc.

   7. 64. Copies of complaints etc.

   8. 65. Information for complainant about disciplinary recommendations

   9. 66. Register to be kept by the Director General

   10. 67. Manner and time limits of notices and notifications

   11. 68. Investigations by the Director General: power to serve an information notice

   12. 69. Failure to comply with an information notice

   13. 70. Appeals against information notices

   14. 71. Sensitive information: restriction on disclosure

9. PART 8 Reports and recommendations

   1. 72. Final reports on investigations: complaints, conduct matters and certain DSI matters

   2. 73. Action by the Director General in relation to an investigation report under regulation 72

   3. 74. Action by the chief executive in response to an investigation report under regulation 72

   4. 75. Final reports on investigations: other DSI matters

   5. 76. Provision of copy of report on investigation etc to person to whose conduct the investigation related

   6. 77. Action by the Director General in response to an investigation report under regulation 75

   7. 78. Duties with respect to disciplinary proceedings

   8. 79. Complaints and conduct matters relating to a person whose identity is unascertained

10. PART 9 Re-investigations, reviews and recommendations

    1. 80. Power of the Director General to require re-investigation

    2. 81. Reviews with respect to an investigation

    3. 82. Reviews: general

    4. 83. Information for complainant about disciplinary recommendations

    5. 84. Re-investigations following a review

    6. 85. Recommendations by the Director General following receipt of reports on completion of an investigation or following a determination on a review

    7. 86. Response to recommendation

    8. 87. Recommendations by the Director General in relation to remedying dissatisfaction expressed by the complainant

11. PART 10 Delegation by the chief executive

    1. 88. Delegation of powers and duties by the chief executive

12. Signature

13. Explanatory Note