Guidance: Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) codes of practice

Wednesday, 22 February 2023 16:37

The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 codes of practice regulate police powers and protect public rights. From: Home Office Published 26 March 2013 Last updated 22 February 2023 — See all updates Contents Overview PACE codes of practice Current versions of the codes Previous versions Consultations Overview This page covers the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) and...Request free trial

The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 codes of practice regulate police powers and protect public rights.

From:

Home Office

Published

26 March 2013

Last updated

22 February 2023 — See all updates

Contents

Overview

This page covers the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) and the accompanying PACE codes of practice, which establish the powers of the police to combat crimes while protecting the rights of the public.

PACE codes of practice

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 central element of PACE.

The PACE codes of practice cover:

stop and search
arrest
detention
investigation
identification
interviewing detainees

Current versions of the codes

Code	Subjects covered
Code A 2023	Exercise by police officers of statutory powers to search a person or a vehicle without first making an arrest and the need for a police officer to make a record of a stop or encounter
Code B 2013	Police powers to search premises and to seize and retain property found on premises and persons
Code C 2019	Requirements for the detention, treatment and questioning of suspects not related to terrorism in police custody by police officers. Includes the requirement to explain a person’s rights while detained and the requirement to explain the rights of a person who has not been arrested that apply to a voluntary interview.
Code D 2017	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 2018	Audio recording of interviews with suspects in the police station
Code F 2018	Visual recording with sound of interviews with suspects - there is no statutory requirement on police officers to visually record interviews, but 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
Code G 2012	Powers of arrest under section 24 the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 as amended by section 110 of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005
Code H 2022	Requirements for the detention, treatment and questioning of suspects related to terrorism in police custody by police officers. Includes the requirement to explain a person’s rights while detained in connection with terrorism

The latest version of the College of Policing Authorised Professional Practice on detention and custody is published on the College of Policing website under Authorised Professional Practice in the detention and custody section

Previous versions

Previous versions of the codes are shown below, by the date they came into force.

Code A	1 Jan 09	7 Mar 11	27 Oct 13	19 March 2015
Code B	1 Feb 08	7 Mar 11
Code C	1 Feb 08	10 Jul 12	27 Oct 13	2 Jun 14	23 Feb 17	31 July 2018
Code D	1 Feb 08	7 Mar 11
Code E	30 Apr 10	23 Oct 2013	2 Feb 16
Code F	30 Apr 10	26 Oct 13
Code G	1 Jan 06
Code H	25 Jul 06	10 Jul 12	27 Oct 13	2 Jun 14	23 Feb 17	31 July 18	21 August 19

Consultations

You can also read previous consultations which contributed to the development of revised codes.