| Act of Parliament | |
.svg) | |
| Long title | An Act to consolidate the Police Act 1964, Part IX of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, Chapter I of Part I of the Police and Magistrates' Courts Act 1994 and certain other enactments relating to the police. |
|---|---|
| Citation | 1996 c. 16 |
| Territorial extent | [b] |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 22 May 1996 (1996-05-22) |
| Commencement | 22 August 1996[c] |
| Other legislation | |
| Amends | |
| Repeals/revokes | |
| Amended by | |
Status: Partially repealed | |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
| Revised text of statute as amended | |
| Text of the Police Act 1996 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, fromlegislation.gov.uk. | |
ThePolice Act 1996 (c. 16) is anact of theParliament of the United Kingdom which defined the currentpolice areas in England and Wales, constitutedpolice authorities for those areas, and set out the relationship between theHome Secretary and the English and Welshterritorial police forces. It replaced thePolice and Magistrates' Courts Act 1994, which in turn had replaced thePolice Act 1964 (c. 48).
Sections 1 to 35 concern the national and regional organisation of the police force, with slightly differently applicable rules inside and outside London.
Sections 36 to 58 concern thefunctions of the Secretary of State in setting the police forces' objectives, handling budgets, and making more detailed regulations.
Sections 59 to 64 concern thePolice Federation of England and Wales and related rules. Section 64 contains the prohibition, in place since thePolice Act 1919 (9 & 10 Geo. 5. c. 46), on police becoming members of atrade union which can takestrike action, under theTrade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992. The Police Federation was thought to be a substitute, given the potential for civil unrest that might develop if police stopped working to go on strike. This was thought to make the police exceptional, and as an alternative, a system of arbitration to resolve workplace disputes was instituted. The constitution of the Police Federation is set out in the amended Police Federation Regulations 1969 (SI 1969/1787).[1]
Sections 65 to 88 concern the rules of thePolice Complaints Authority, handling complaints made against the police, and procedures for disciplinary hearings and dismissal of officers.
Section 89(1) creates the offence ofassaulting a constable in the execution of his duty. Subsequently, theAssaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act 2018 increased the maximum sentence on summary conviction to 12 months.[2]
 | Thislegislation in theUnited Kingdom, or its constituent jurisdictions, article is astub. You can help Wikipedia byadding missing information. |
