Police (Recruitment) (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2001

Part I General

Citation and commencement

1.—(1) These regulations may be cited as the Police (Recruitment) (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2001.

(2) These regulations shall come into operation on 5th April 2001.

Meanings assigned to certain expressions etc

2.—(1) The following expressions have the meaning hereby assigned to them:—

“the Act” means the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2000;

“the agent” means the police recruitment agent appointed under regulation 4;

“British subject” and “Commonwealth citizen” have the meanings assigned to them by section 51 of the British Nationality Act 1981(1);

“the Independent Assessor” means a person appointed under regulation 13(1);

“independent community observers” means persons appointed under regulation 10(1);

“independent panel member” means a person nominated under regulation 12(2);

“lay assessors” means persons engaged in carrying out duties under regulation 9;

“the police” has the same meaning as in section 77 of the Act;

“Police Authority” means the Police Authority for Northern Ireland;

“police reserve trainees” means persons appointed under section 40 of the Act;

“police support staff” has the same meaning as in section 4(6) of the Act;

“police trainees” means persons appointed under section 39 of the Act;

“Policing Board” means the Northern Ireland Policing Board;

“Promotion Regulations” means the regulations relating to qualifications and selection for promotion for the time being in force;

“the Report of the Independent Commission” means the report of the Independent Commission on Policing for Northern Ireland (“A New Beginning: Policing in Northern Ireland” published on 9th September 1999);

“Road Traffic Orders” has the meaning assigned by Article 2 (2) of the Road Traffic Offenders (Northern Ireland) Order 1996(2);

“staff of the Police Authority” means a person appointed under subsection (1), persons employed under subsection (3), or persons engaged in pursuance of arrangements under subsection (4) of section 3 of the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 1998;

“staff of the Policing Board” means persons employed or engaged in pursuance of arrangements under paragraph 13 of Schedule 1 to the Act.

(2) A qualified candidate means an applicant for appointment to the police:—

(a) who is a British subject, a Commonwealth citizen or a citizen of the Republic of Ireland;

(b) who has attained the age of 18 years and is not over 52 years if a candidate for appointment as a police trainee;

(c) who has been certified by a registered medical practitioner approved by the Chief Constable to be in good health, of sound constitution and fitted both physically and mentally to perform the duties of a police officer;

(d) who gives such information as may be required by the Chief Constable or in accordance with regulation 7 as to the candidate’s suitability for appointment to the police including satisfactory references as to his character;

(e) who is not ineligible for appointment by virtue of regulation 8(1) of the Royal Ulster Constabulary Regulations 1996(3) or Schedule 1 (criminal convictions etc);

(f) who demonstrates by such tests or assessments as may be determined by the Chief Constable or carried out in accordance with regulation 8 that he possesses the skill and competencies required to carry out the duties of a police officer;

(g) whom the panel established under regulation 12 decides is suitable for appointment as a police trainee or police reserve trainee; and

(h) who, if a candidate for appointment to the rank of sergeant or inspector, is qualified for promotion to such rank in accordance with the Promotion Regulations.

Pool of qualified candidates

3.—(1) All candidates for appointment as police trainees who satisfy the requirements of regulation 2(2) shall be placed in a pool of qualified candidates.

(2) The Chief Constable shall appoint police trainees from a pool of qualified candidates referred to in paragraph (1) for the purposes of section 39 of the Act in accordance with section 46 of the Act.

(1)

1981 c. 61

(2)

S.I. 1996/1320 (N.I. 10)

(3)

S.R. 1996 No. 473