Conduct and regulations

The standards of professional behaviour

The standards are set out in Schedule 2 to the Police (Conduct) Regulations 2020 and cover honesty and integrity, authority, respect and courtesy, equality and diversity, use of force, orders and instructions, duties and responsibilities, confidentiality, fitness for duty, discreditable conduct, and challenging and reporting improper conduct.

They apply on and off duty. The discreditable conduct standard is the one most often engaged by off duty behaviour, including social media use, and by criminal allegations that never reach a charge. Alongside the regulations, the College of Policing publishes the Code of Ethics, and a statutory code of practice on ethical policing sets expectations at force level.

Misconduct and gross misconduct

When an allegation is recorded, the appropriate authority carries out a severity assessment. That assessment decides three things: whether the conduct, if proved, would amount to misconduct or gross misconduct, whether it should be investigated, and how.

• Misconduct is a breach of the standards. If proved at a misconduct meeting, outcomes range from no further action to a final written warning.
• Gross misconduct is a breach so serious that dismissal would be justified. It is heard by a panel, chaired in most cases by a legally qualified chair, and hearings are usually held in public.
• Practice requiring improvement sits below both and is dealt with through the reflective practice review process, which is a learning route rather than a disciplinary one and does not carry a sanction.

Officers under investigation are given a written notice setting out the conduct alleged, the standards said to be engaged and the severity assessment. You are entitled to be accompanied by a police friend, who can be a colleague, a member of police staff or a person nominated by a staff association, at interviews, meetings and hearings.

Suspension is not automatic and is not a finding. It requires the appropriate authority to be satisfied that a temporary redeployment would not be sufficient, and it must be kept under review.

Performance and attendance

Capability is handled under the Police (Performance) Regulations 2020, through a staged process. First and second stage meetings result in written improvement notices with defined periods. A third stage meeting can result in dismissal, reduction in rank or redeployment.

Attendance cases follow the same structure but should not be used where the underlying issue is a health condition that occupational health has identified as long term. If ill health is the cause, the medical route, including possible ill health retirement, is the correct process. The two are frequently confused and it is reasonable to ask, in writing, which process you are in.

Complaints and the IOPC

Public complaints are governed by the Police Reform Act 2002 as amended, and by statutory guidance issued by the Independent Office for Police Conduct. Most complaints are handled by the force itself, either by investigation or by another reasonable and proportionate method. Serious cases, including death or serious injury following police contact, must be referred to the IOPC.

A complaint is not the same as a conduct allegation. Many complaints are resolved without any suggestion that an officer breached the standards, and being the subject of one does not by itself trigger the conduct regulations. Complainants have a right to seek a review of the outcome, either from the local policing body or from the IOPC depending on how the complaint was handled.

Appeals and the barred list

Officers can appeal certain outcomes to a police appeals tribunal, within the time limits set in the tribunal rules. Grounds are limited, and the tribunal is not a rehearing of the whole case.

Officers dismissed for gross misconduct are added to the barred list maintained by the College of Policing, which prevents re-employment in policing and in related roles. There is a separate advisory list for those who leave while under investigation.

Vetting

Vetting clearance is a continuing requirement, not a one off check at recruitment. It is reviewed periodically and can be reviewed at any point if new information comes to light, including information about associates or personal finances. After a court ruling found that using vetting withdrawal as a route to remove officers was unlawful in the form then used, the regulations were changed in 2024 to create a formal process for cases where clearance cannot be maintained.

Notification duties matter here. Most forces require officers to declare changes in relationships, financial difficulty and contact with the criminal justice system. Failing to declare is often treated more seriously than the matter that should have been declared.

Business interests and secondary employment

Under the Police Regulations 2003, officers must notify the chief officer of any business interest, including some interests held by members of their household, and the chief officer decides whether it is compatible with service as a police officer. Approval can be refused or withdrawn, and there is an appeal route. Starting the interest before approval is a conduct matter in itself.

Scotland and Northern Ireland

Police Scotland officers are covered by their own conduct regulations, with independent oversight from the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner rather than the IOPC. Northern Ireland has separate arrangements again, with oversight from the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland.

Sources: Police (Conduct) Regulations 2020, Police (Performance) Regulations 2020, Police Regulations 2003, Police Reform Act 2002 and IOPC statutory guidance. This page is a general summary and is not legal advice. For advice on a live case, speak to your staff association or a solicitor with police discipline experience.