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Operational Policing

Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) and accompanying Codes of Practice

The Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) and the PACE Codes of Practice provide the core framework of police powers and safeguards around stop and search, arrest, detention, investigation, identification and interviewing detainees.

PACE sets out to strike the right balance between the powers of the police and the rights and freedoms of the public. Maintaining that balance is a key element of PACE.

PACE Review

Click on this link for progress on the PACE Review.

Amended PACE Codes (A to E) approved by Parliament

SI 2008/167 (new window) came into effect from 1 February 2008. This makes a number of changes to PACE Codes A to E. These changes are detailed in the accompanying Explanatory Memorandum (new window) to the statutory instrument and are set out in detail in Home Office Circular 2/2008 (new window).

The Codes have been updated on this page. They will not be reprinted.  Instead, users of the 2005 edition of the Codes (and the 2006 edition of code C) should make use of the addendum attached below.

Current PACE Codes

The latest versions of the Codes are available below. Codes A to E came into effect after midnight on 31 January 2008. Codes F and G came into effect after midnight on 31 December 2005 and Code H came into effect after midnight on 24 July 2006.

  • Foreword and Contents

  • Code A

    Deals with the exercise by police officers of statutory powers to search a person or a vehicle without first making an arrest. It also deals with the need for a police officer to make a record of a stop or encounter.

  • Code B

    Deals with police powers to search premises and to seize and retain property found on premises and persons.

  • Code C

    Code C sets out the requirements for the detention, treatment and questioning of suspects not related to terrorism in police custody by police officers.

  • Code D

    Concerns the main methods used by the police to identify people in connection with the investigation of offences and the keeping of accurate and reliable criminal records.

  • Code E

    Deals with the tape recording of interviews with suspects in the police station.

  • Code F

    Deals with the visual recording with sound of interviews with suspects. There is no statutory requirement on police officers to visually record interviews. However, the contents of this code should be considered if an interviewing officer decides to make a visual recording with sound of an interview with a suspect.

Relevant links

Home Office Circular 56/2005 (new window) 
Annex A provides guidance on the changes introduced under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 and the Drugs Act 2005, and the revised PACE Codes of Practice. Annex B provides additional guidance on s8 PACE search warrant provisions.

Home Office Circular 57/03 provides advice on the use of voice identification parades (new window). This relates to PACE Code D.

The published codes, which includes a CD ROM of the PACE Codes and the revised 'Notice of Rights and Entitlements' (including translations), are available to download, and are also available from The Stationery Office (new window) in hard copy.  The 2008 addendum is only available on this page.

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