{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/police-conduct-regulations-2004/regulation-3",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/police-conduct-regulations-2004/regulation-3.json",
  "legislation": "uksi/2004/645",
  "legislation_title": "The Police (Conduct) Regulations 2004",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/police-conduct-regulations-2004",
  "path": "regulation/3",
  "kind": "regulation",
  "number": "3",
  "heading": "Interpretation",
  "text": "(1) In these Regulations—\n“appropriate authority” means—\n(a) where the officer concerned is a senior officer of any police force, the police authority for the force’s area;\n(b) where the officer concerned is a senior officer of the National Crime Squad, the Service Authority for that Squad;\n(c) in any other case, the chief officer of the police officer’s force;\n“appropriate officer” means—\n(a) where the officer concerned is a member of the metropolitan police force or the City of London police force or a special constable appointed for the area of one of those forces, a police officer of at least the rank of commander in that police force;\n(b) in any other case, a police officer of at least the rank of assistant chief constable;\n“appropriate standard” means the standard set out in the Code of Conduct;\n“conduct matter” means any matter which is not and has not been the subject of a complaint but in the case of which there is an indication (whether from the circumstances or otherwise) that a person serving with the police may have—\n(a) committed a criminal offence; or\n(b) behaved in a manner which would justify the bringing of disciplinary proceedings.\n“Code of Conduct” means the code of conduct contained in Schedule 1;\n“the Commission” means the Independent Police Complaints Commission;\n“the officer concerned” means the police officer in relation to whose conduct there has been a report, complaint or allegation;\n“officer other than a senior officer” means a police officer below the rank of senior officer;\n“police officer” means a member of a police force or a special constable;\n“senior officer” means a chief constable, a deputy chief constable or an assistant chief constable or, in the case of the City of London and metropolitan police forces, a member of the force in question of or above the rank of commander;\n“supervising officer” means a police officer appointed under regulation 7 to supervise the investigation of a case;\n“the 1996 Act” means the Police Act 1996; and\n“the 2002 Act” means the Police Reform Act 2002.\n(2) In these Regulations—\n(a) a reference to a police force shall include a reference to the National Crime Squad;\n(b) a reference to a police authority shall include a reference to the Service Authority for that Squad; and\n(c) a reference to a chief officer shall include a reference to the Director General of that Squad.\n(3) In the following regulations—\n(a) a reference to an officer other than a senior officer shall include a reference to a special constable, regardless of the rank or grade he holds;\n(b) any special constable of a rank or grade equivalent to or above the rank of chief superintendent shall be treated as if he were a chief superintendent.",
  "extent": null,
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "footnote",
      "label": "f1",
      "text": "2002 c. 30."
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [
    {
      "type": "words revoked",
      "affecting": "uksi/2006/594",
      "affecting_title": "The Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 (Consequential and Supplementary Amendments to Secondary Legislation) Order 2006"
    },
    {
      "type": "words substituted",
      "affecting": "uksi/2011/3027",
      "affecting_title": "The Police (Performance and Conduct) (Amendment: Metropolitan Police) Regulations 2011"
    },
    {
      "type": "revoked",
      "affecting": "uksi/2006/594",
      "affecting_title": "The Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 (Consequential and Supplementary Amendments to Secondary Legislation) Order 2006"
    }
  ],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2004/645/regulation/3",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T05:30:23.842816+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}