Police (Complaints and Conduct) Bill (HC Bill 93)

1 Interviews of serving officers during investigations

(1) The Police Reform Act 2002 is amended as follows.

(2) In Schedule 3 (handling of complaints and conduct matters etc) after
paragraph 19E insert—

5“Interview of persons serving with the police etc during certain investigations

19F (1) This paragraph applies to an investigation of a complaint, recordable
conduct matter or DSI matter which—

(a) is carried out by the appropriate authority under the
management of the Commission, or

(b) 10is carried out by the Commission itself.

(2) The Secretary of State may by regulations make provision as to the
procedure to be followed in connection with an interview which—

(a) is held with a serving officer during the course of the
investigation by the person investigating the complaint or
15matter, and

(b) is not within paragraph 19D(1).

(3) Regulations under sub-paragraph (2) may in particular make
provision—

(a) requiring a serving officer to attend an interview,

(b) 20for determining how the time at which an interview is to be
held is to be agreed or decided,

(c) about the information that must be provided to a serving
officer being interviewed,

(d) for enabling a serving officer to be accompanied at the
interview by a person of a prescribed description.

(4) 5“Serving officer” means a person who—

(a) is serving with the police, or

(b) is serving with an additional police body.

(5) A person is serving with an additional police body if the person is a
member of, or is employed or otherwise engaged for the purposes of,
10that body (subject to sub-paragraph (6)).

(6) The Secretary of State may by regulations provide, in relation to an
additional police body, that a person is serving with that body only
if the person—

(a) is a member of, or is employed or otherwise engaged for the
15purposes of, that body, and

(b) is of a prescribed description.

(7) An “additional police body” means—

(a) a body of constables which is maintained by an authority
other than a local policing body and is prescribed in
20regulations made by the Secretary of State under this sub-
paragraph, or

(b) a body required by section 26A or 26B to enter into an
agreement with the Commission.

(8) The Secretary of State must obtain the consent of the Northern
25Ireland Assembly before making provision in regulations under this
paragraph which would be within the legislative competence of the
Northern Ireland Assembly.

(9) But consent under sub-paragraph (8) is not required in relation to a
provision if—

(a) 30a Bill for an Act of the Northern Ireland Assembly containing
the provision would require the consent of the Secretary of
State under section 8 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, and

(b) the provision does not affect, other than incidentally, a
transferred matter (within the meaning of that Act).

(10) 35Nothing in this paragraph prevents or restricts the holding of
interviews to which regulations under this paragraph do not apply
during the course of any investigation under this Schedule.”

(3) In paragraph 19D(2) of Schedule 3 (interview in certain cases of police officer
or special constable whose conduct is being investigated) before paragraph (a)
40insert—

“(za) requiring the person concerned to attend an interview,”.

(4) In section 108(7) (provisions of Act which extend to the United Kingdom)
before paragraph (a) insert—

“(za) the provision contained in paragraph 19F of Schedule 3 (and
45any interpretative or other supplementary provision as it has
effect for the purposes of that provision);”.

2 Application of Part 2 of the Police Reform Act 2002 to old cases

(1) The Police Reform Act 2002 is amended as follows.

(2) After section 28 insert—

“28A Application of Part 2 to old cases

(1) 5The Commission may, if it considers that there are exceptional
circumstances—

(a) direct that a relevant transitional provision does not apply in relation
to a pre-commencement matter, and

(b) direct the appropriate authority to record the matter under this Part.

(2) 10A “pre-commencement matter” means a matter which—

(a) is a complaint or a conduct matter,

(b) relates to conduct which took place, or circumstances which
occurred, before 1 April 2004, and

(c) (apart from this section) is prevented by a relevant transitional
15provision from being recorded under this Part as a complaint or
a conduct matter.

(3) “Relevant transitional provision” means article 2, 3 or 4 of the
Independent Police Complaints Commission (Transitional Provisions)
Order 2004 (S.I. 2004/671S.I. 2004/671).

(4) 20The Commission may, if it considers that there are exceptional circumstances,
direct that a matter to which subsection (5) applies should be treated as a
conduct matter or a DSI matter.

(5) This subsection applies to a matter which—

(a) relates to conduct which took place, or circumstances which
25occurred, before 1 April 2004,

(b) has been the subject of a relevant complaint, and

(c) would be a conduct matter or a DSI matter if it had not been the
subject of a relevant complaint.

(6) “Relevant complaint” means—

(a) 30a complaint made before 1 April 2004, or

(b) a complaint made on or after that date to which a relevant
transitional provision applied.

(7) Where under subsection (1)(a) the Commission directs that a relevant
transitional provision does not apply in relation to a pre-
35commencement matter, that provision does not apply in relation to that
matter.

(8) The appropriate authority must comply with a direction under
subsection (1)(b).

(9) Where under subsection (4) the Commission directs that a matter
40should be treated as a conduct matter or a DSI matter, the matter is
(subject to any regulations under subsection (10)) to be treated as a
conduct matter or a DSI matter for the purposes of this Part (including
subsections (1) and (2)) and any provision made under it.

(10) The Secretary of State may by regulations provide for this Part or any
45provision made under it to apply with such modifications as the

Secretary of State thinks fit to a matter in relation to which the
Commission has made a direction under subsection (1) or (4).”

(3) In section 12 (definitions of “conduct matter” and “DSI matter”)—

(a) in subsection (2), after “this section,” insert “section 28A and any
5regulations made under it,”, and

(b) in subsection (2A), after “means” insert “(subject to section 28A and any
regulations made under it)”.

(4) In section 29(1), in the definition of “recordable conduct matter”, after
paragraph (a) (and the “or” which follows) insert—

“(aa) 10a conduct matter that is required to be recorded by the
appropriate authority under section 28A(8) or has been so
recorded;”.

3 Extent, commencement and short title

(1) Section 1 (except for subsection (3)) and this section extend to England and
15Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

(2) Sections 1(3) and 2 extend to England and Wales only.

(3) This Act comes into force on the day on which it is passed.

(4) This Act may be cited as the Police (Complaints and Conduct) Act 2012.