Police standards

Overview

Police officers have extensive powers of search, entry, seizure and arrest that members of the public do not have. They can also use force and carry weapons in certain circumstances.

There are various statutory rules intended to maintain police standards and ensure the police use powers lawfully. More broadly, standards of professional behaviour for the police set out how police officers must behave when they are both on and off duty.

There are various rules setting out police standards. These are provided for in legislation and explained in statutory guidance. The following Commons Library briefings detail different aspects of the police standards rules:

• Police standards: Complaints explains how the public can complain about the police and how their complaints should be handled.
• Police standards: Conduct explains how the police must manage allegations of police wrongdoing that arise outside of a public complaint.
• Police standards: Discipline explains how police officers who commit misconduct should be dealt with.
• Police standards: Vetting explains how police officers are vetted.

Taken together, the rules explained in these briefings are intended to help police forces maintain standards and discipline, and to give people the right to make complaints about how they have been treated by the police.