Regulation 28 Transitional provisions: amendments to the Police (Vetting) Regulations 2025

(1)

Paragraph (2) applies where—

(a)

before 13th July 2026, the vetting authority of a police force granted vetting clearance to a police candidate or to a police officer seeking appointment to the police force without the vetting authority having carried out all the checks specified in paragraph (3), and

(b)

the candidate or officer is not appointed to the police force before that date.

(2)

The vetting authority may only appoint the police candidate or police officer to the police force on or after 13th July 2026 if, before the date of appointment—

(a)

it has carried out all the checks specified in paragraph (3), and

(b)

it remains satisfied that the candidate or officer is suitable to hold vetting clearance.

(3)

The specified checks are—

(a)

in the case of a police candidate or a police officer in respect of whom the condition set out in regulation 4B(3)(a) or 5C(3)(a) of the Vetting Regulations^f1 is met, the checks included in a vetting application assessment;

(b)

in the case of a police officer in respect of whom the conditions set out in regulation 5C(4) of the Vetting Regulations are met, the checks included in a full vetting review.

(4)

Regulation 5A(3) of the Vetting Regulations does not apply where the misconduct proceedings or accelerated misconduct hearing were concluded before 13th July 2026.

(5)

Where a vetting authority was aware of information to which paragraph (6) applies before 13th July 2026, including in a case where that information resulted in a finding or determination that the police officer in question was suitable to hold vetting clearance, the information is to be treated as coming to the attention of the vetting authority immediately after the commencement date.

(6)

This paragraph applies to information that a police officer—

(a)

has been convicted or given a caution for an offence, or

(b)

is, or has been, subject to the notification requirements of Part 2 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003.

(7)

The amendments made by regulations 12(3) and 20 (amendments related to suspension) do not apply in relation to information indicating that a police officer may no longer be suitable to hold vetting clearance which came to the attention of the vetting authority of the police force concerned before 13th July 2026.

(8)

In this regulation—

(a)

the following expressions have the following meanings—

“full vetting review” has the meaning given in regulation 5C(10) of the Vetting Regulations;
“police candidate” means a person seeking appointment to a police force, but does not include a police officer who is seeking to transfer from one police force to another;
“police force concerned” has the meaning given in regulation 2(1) of the Vetting Regulations^f2;
“police officer” means a member of a police force or special constable;
“vetting application assessment” has the meaning given in regulation 2(1) of the Vetting Regulations;
“vetting clearance” has the meaning given in regulation 2(1) of the Vetting Regulations;
“the Vetting Regulations” means the Police (Vetting) Regulations 2025;

(b)

the “vetting authority” of a police force means—

(i)

in relation to a police candidate or a police officer, other than a chief officer of police or acting chief officer, the chief officer of police of that police force;

(ii)

in relation to a chief officer of police or acting chief officer, the local policing body for that police force’s area.

Annotations

Footnotes

f1: Regulation 4B of the Vetting Regulations is inserted by regulation 15 of these Regulations and regulations 5A to 5E of the Vetting Regulations are inserted by regulation 17 of these Regulations.
f2: Regulation 2(1) of the Vetting Regulations is amended by regulation 11 of these Regulations.