New PACE Codes of Practice for Northern Ireland

Justice Minister Naomi Long has today brought into operation revised Codes of Practice, made under the Police and Criminal Evidence (Northern Ireland) Order 1989 (PACE NI).

There are nine PACE Codes in total. Codes A to H have been revised and a new Code I has been introduced.

The Justice Minister said: The PACE Codes are vital parts of the framework of legislation providing the police with the powers they need to tackle and investigate crime.

They support PACE NI by providing guidance on the use of the powers it confers on the police and set out important safeguards for the rights of individuals under investigation and/or detained in police custody.

Codes A to H have been revised broadly to reflect changes to primary legislation made by Westminster in the Counter Terrorism and Border Security Act 2019 and the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022. Code I is a new Code which is required to support the National Security Act 2023 (NSA).

The Department has also taken account of the Supreme Court ruling in the For Women Scotland case and has put in place an interim Annex L to PACE Code C (replicated in PACE Codes H and I, as Annex J and Annex H respectively) on the conduct of searches and other procedures.  A statement of position has also been published alongside the Codes in relation to the Supreme Court ruling.     

The Codes are available on the Department's website: www.justice-ni.gov.uk/articles/pace-codes-practice

Notes to Editors

1. The Police and Criminal Evidence (Northern Ireland) Order 1989 (Codes of Practice) Order 2026 brings revised Codes of Practice into operation on 1 July 2026.

2. There are currently eight Codes of Practice (A to H) and a new Code (Code I) is being introduced:

• Code A  Stop and search
• Code B  Search of premises and seizures
• Code C  Detention, treatment and questioning of persons detained under PACE
• Code D  Identification of persons
• Code E  Audio recording of suspect interviews
• Code F  Visual recording with sound of suspect interviews
• Code G  Power of Arrest
• Code H  Persons detained under terrorism provisions
• Code I   Persons detained under national security provisions

3. The Department of Justice has a statutory duty (Articles 65 and 66 of PACE NI) for issuing new and revised codes.

4. The subject matter of Codes H and I is excepted but the Department of Justice has responsibility for the Codes of Practice to support the PSNI in exercising powers under the Terrorism Act 2000 and NSA.

5. The Codes broadly mirror the PACE Codes in England and Wales.

6. An additional statement of position has been published alongside the Codes in relation to the Supreme Court Ruling in the case of For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers [2025]. The Equality Commission has made an application to the High Court to seek a Declaration on the application of the Supreme Court Ruling in Northern Ireland. Pending the outcome, the Department has put in place an interim Annex L to PACE Code C (replicated in PACE Codes H and I, as Annex J and Annex H respectively) on the conduct of searches and other procedures.