# The Police (Appointment of Police Authorities and Chief Constables) Order 1973, Note: Explanatory note


Article 3 provides that (subject to the filling of casual vacancies) the membership of existing police authorities shall remain unchanged until immediately before 1st April 1974.
Article 4 enables the Secretary of State to direct how magistrates should be appointed to the new police authorities before magistrates are appointed in accordance with the normal statutory machinery.
Article 5 makes provision relating to the first chief constable of a new police force. If the new police area is co-extensive with, or wholly comprised in, an existing police area, the existing chief constable is, unless the declines the office, to be the first chief constable. In any other case, the police authority must appoint one of the chief constables of the existing police areas wholly or partly comprised in the new police area unless the Secretary of State is satisfied that there are exceptional circumstances: the appointment is subject to the approval of the Secretary of State.

---
Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1973/734/note (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/police-appointment-of-police-authorities-and-chief-constables-order-1973/note
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.