{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/police-promotion-regulations-1996/regulation-2",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/police-promotion-regulations-1996/regulation-2.json",
  "legislation": "uksi/1996/1685",
  "legislation_title": "The Police (Promotion) Regulations 1996",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/police-promotion-regulations-1996",
  "path": "regulation/2",
  "kind": "regulation",
  "number": "2",
  "heading": "Interpretation",
  "text": "(1) In these Regulations, unless the context otherwise requires —\n“FT Programme” means a programme for the time being recognised by the Secretary of State for the purposes of these Regulations as the Constable to Inspector Fast Track Programme;\n“HPD scheme” means a scheme for the time being recognised by the Secretary of State for the purposes of these Regulations as the high potential development scheme;\n“member of a police force” includes such a member who is suspended from membership of his force and the office of constable under regulations made by virtue of section 50 of the Police Act 1996;\n...\n“probationary service”, in relation to a constable who completed the required period of probation following a previous appointment, does not include any period of probation following his latest appointment;\n“Scottish force” means a police force within the meaning of the Police (Scotland) Act 1967; and\n“Scottish promotion regulations” means regulations relating to qualification for promotion from time to time in force under that Act.\n(2) In these Regulations, unless the context otherwise requires, any reference to a member of a police force ... includes a reference to a reversionary member, that is to say —\n(a) a reversionary member of a home police force, or\n(b) a central police officer,\nwithin the meaning of the Police Pensions Regulations 1987; any reference to service includes a reference to service as a reversionary member; and any reference to a constable or a sergeant includes a reference to a reversionary member entitled under section 97(3) of the Police Act 1996 to revert to a police force in the rank in question.\n(3) In reckoning service or a period in any rank for the purposes of these Regulations —\n(a) any period of unpaid leave shall be disregarded;\n(b) any period of study as a university scholar within the meaning of the Police Regulations 2003 shall be disregarded;\n(c) in the case of a female member of a police force ... who has taken one or more periods of maternity leave (within the meaning of regulation 29 of the Police Regulations 2003) —\n(i) where that leave has been for more than eighteen weeks, the first eighteen weeks whilst on maternity leave shall be treated as if it were service in the police force ...;\n(ii) where that leave has been for less than eighteen weeks, any period spent on maternity leave shall be treated as if it were service in the police force ....\n(4) In these Regulations, unless the context otherwise requires, a reference to a regulation or Schedule shall be construed as a reference to a regulation or Schedule in these Regulations; a reference to a paragraph shall be construed as a reference to a paragraph in the same regulation or, as the case may be, same Schedule; and a reference to a sub-paragraph shall be construed as a reference to a sub-paragraph contained in the same paragraph.",
  "extent": "E+W",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "Words in reg. 2(1) inserted (1.10.2014) by The Police (Promotion) (Amendment) Regulations 2014 (S.I. 2014/2373), regs. 1, 3"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F2",
      "text": "Words in reg. 2(1) inserted (12.4.2002) by The Police (Promotion) (Amendment) Regulations 2002 (S.I. 2002/767), regs. 1(1), 2(2)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F3",
      "text": "Words in reg. 2(1) substituted (15.11.2003) by virtue of The Police (Promotion) (Amendment) Regulations 2003 (S.I. 2003/2595), regs. 1(1), 2(2)(a)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F4",
      "text": "Words in reg. 2(1) revoked (1.4.2006) by The Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 (Consequential and Supplementary Amendments to Secondary Legislation) Order 2006 (S.I. 2006/594), art. 1, Sch. para. 13(2)(a)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F5",
      "text": "Words in reg. 2(2) revoked (1.4.2006) by The Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 (Consequential and Supplementary Amendments to Secondary Legislation) Order 2006 (S.I. 2006/594), art. 1, Sch. para. 13(2)(b)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F6",
      "text": "Words in reg. 2(2) substituted (15.11.2003) by The Police (Promotion) (Amendment) Regulations 2003 (S.I. 2003/2595), regs. 1(1), 2(3)(b)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F7",
      "text": "Word in reg. 2(3)(b) substituted (15.11.2003) by virtue of The Police (Promotion) (Amendment) Regulations 2003 (S.I. 2003/2595), regs. 1(1), 2(4)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F8",
      "text": "Words in reg. 2(3)(c) revoked (1.4.2006) by The Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 (Consequential and Supplementary Amendments to Secondary Legislation) Order 2006 (S.I. 2006/594), art. 1, Sch. para. 13(2)(c)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F9",
      "text": "Words in reg. 2(3)(c) substituted (15.11.2003) by The Police (Promotion) (Amendment) Regulations 2003 (S.I. 2003/2595), regs. 1(1), 2(5)(b)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F10",
      "text": "Word in reg. 2(3)(c) substituted (12.4.2002) by The Police (Promotion) (Amendment) Regulations 2002 (S.I. 2002/767), regs. 1(1), 2(3)"
    },
    {
      "type": "I",
      "label": "I1",
      "text": "Reg. 2 in force at 1.8.1996, see reg. 1"
    },
    {
      "type": "footnote",
      "label": "f1",
      "text": "1967 c. 77."
    },
    {
      "type": "footnote",
      "label": "f2",
      "text": "S.I. 1987/257; relevant amendments were made by S.I. 1992/1278."
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1996/1685/regulation/2",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T12:40:15.222918+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."
}