{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/police-reform-act-2002/section-18",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/police-reform-act-2002/section-18.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/2002/30",
  "legislation_title": "Police Reform Act 2002",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/police-reform-act-2002",
  "path": "section/18",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "18",
  "heading": "Inspections of police premises on behalf of the Director General",
  "text": "(1) Where—\n(a) the Director General requires—\n(i) a local policing body maintaining any police force, or\n(ii) the chief officer of police of any such force,\nto allow a person nominated for the purpose by the Director General to have access to any premises occupied for the purposes of that force and to documents and other things on those premises, and\n(b) the requirement is imposed for any of the purposes mentioned in subsection (2),\nit shall be the duty of the body or, as the case may be, of the chief officer to secure that the required access is allowed to the nominated person.\n(2) Those purposes are—\n(a) the purposes of any examination by the Director General of the efficiency and effectiveness of the arrangements made by the force in question for handling complaints or dealing with recordable conduct matters or DSI matters;\n(b) the purposes of any investigation by the Director General under this Part or of any investigation carried out under the Director General's ... direction.\n(c) the purposes of any review by the Director General under paragraph 25 of Schedule 3.\n(3) A requirement imposed under this section for the purposes mentioned in subsection (2)(a) must be notified to the body or chief officer at least 48 hours before the time at which access is required.\n(4) Where—\n(a) a requirement imposed under this section for the purposes mentioned in subsection (2)(a) requires access to any premises, document or thing to be allowed to any person, but\n(b) there are reasonable grounds for not allowing that person to have the required access at the time at which he seeks to have it,\nthe obligation to secure that the required access is allowed shall have effect as an obligation to secure that the access is allowed to that person at the earliest practicable time after there cease to be any such grounds as that person may specify.\n(5) The provisions of this section are in addition to, and without prejudice to—\n(a) the rights of entry, search and seizure that are or may be conferred on—\n(i) a person designated for the purposes of paragraph 19 of Schedule 3, or\n(ii) any person who otherwise acts on behalf of the Director General,\nin his capacity as a constable or as a person with the powers and privileges of a constable; or\n(b) the obligations of local policing bodies and chief officers under sections 15 and 17.",
  "extent": "E+W",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "Words in s. 18 substituted (31.1.2017 for specified purposes, 8.1.2018 in so far as not already in force) by Policing and Crime Act 2017 (c. 3), s. 183(1)(5)(e), Sch. 9 para. 24(2); S.I. 2017/1249, reg. 2 (with reg. 3)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F2",
      "text": "Words in s. 18(1)(a) substituted (16.1.2012) by Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 (c. 13), s. 157(1), Sch. 16 para. 285(a)(ii); S.I. 2011/3019, art. 3, Sch. 1"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F3",
      "text": "Words in s. 18(1) substituted (16.1.2012) by Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 (c. 13), s. 157(1), Sch. 16 para. 285(a)(i); S.I. 2011/3019, art. 3, Sch. 1"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F4",
      "text": "Words in s. 18(2)(a) inserted (1.7.2005) by Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 (c. 15), ss. 160, 178, Sch. 12 para. 6; S.I. 2005/1521, art. 3(1)(w)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F5",
      "text": "Words in s. 18(2)(b) substituted (31.1.2017 for specified purposes, 8.1.2018 in so far as not already in force) by Policing and Crime Act 2017 (c. 3), s. 183(1)(5)(e), Sch. 9 para. 24(3); S.I. 2017/1249, reg. 2 (with reg. 3)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F6",
      "text": "Words in s. 18(2)(b) omitted (31.1.2017 for specified purposes, 1.2.2020 in so far as not already in force) by virtue of Policing and Crime Act 2017 (c. 3), s. 183(1)(5)(e), Sch. 5 para. 47(b)(i); S.I. 2020/5, reg. 2(n) (with art. 3(1)(2)(4))"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F7",
      "text": "Word in s. 18(2)(b) substituted (31.1.2017 for specified purposes, 1.2.2020 in so far as not already in force) by Policing and Crime Act 2017 (c. 3), s. 183(1)(5)(e), Sch. 5 para. 47(b)(ii); S.I. 2020/5, reg. 2(n) (with art. 3(1)(2)(4))"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F8",
      "text": "S. 18(2)(c) inserted (31.1.2017 for specified purposes, 1.2.2020 in so far as not already in force) by Policing and Crime Act 2017 (c. 3), s. 183(1)(5)(e), Sch. 5 para. 44; S.I. 2020/5, reg. 2(n) (with art. 3(1)(2)(4))"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F9",
      "text": "Words in s. 18(3) substituted (16.1.2012) by Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 (c. 13), s. 157(1), Sch. 16 para. 285(b); S.I. 2011/3019, art. 3, Sch. 1"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F10",
      "text": "Words in s. 18(5)(b) substituted (16.1.2012) by Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 (c. 13), s. 157(1), Sch. 16 para. 285(c); S.I. 2011/3019, art. 3, Sch. 1"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C1",
      "text": "S. 18 applied (with modifications) (28.12.2005) by The Revenue and Customs (Complaints and Misconduct) Regulations 2005 (S.I. 2005/3311), reg. 3(2)(6), Sch. 1"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C2",
      "text": "Pt. 2 applied (with modifications) (22.11.2012) by The Police (Complaints and Misconduct) Regulations 2012 (S.I. 2012/1204), regs. 1(1), 35(1) (with reg. 35(2))"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C3",
      "text": "Pt. 2 applied (with modifications) (22.11.2012) by The Police (Complaints and Misconduct) Regulations 2012 (S.I. 2012/1204), regs. 1(1), 27"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C4",
      "text": "Pt. 2 applied (with application in accordance with reg. 1(3) of the amending S.I.) by The Police (Complaints and Misconduct) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/2), regs. 1(1), 43(3)"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C5",
      "text": "Pt. 2 applied (with modifications) (with application in accordance with reg. 1(3) of the amending S.I.) by The Police (Complaints and Misconduct) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/2), regs. 1(1), 52"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C6",
      "text": "Pt. 2 applied (with modifications) (with application in accordance with reg. 1(3) of the amending S.I.) by The Police (Complaints and Misconduct) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/2), regs. 1(1), 42(1), Sch. 2"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C7",
      "text": "Pt. 2 applied (with modifications) (with application in accordance with reg. 1(3) of the amending S.I.) by The Police (Complaints and Misconduct) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/2), regs. 1(1), 43(1)(2)"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C8",
      "text": "Pt. 2 applied (with modifications) (with application in accordance with reg. 1(3) of the amending S.I.) by The Police (Complaints and Misconduct) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/2), regs. 1(1), 42(2)"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2002/30/section/18",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-31T10:30:50.998378+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."
}