(1)In Schedule 4A to the Police Act 1996 (further provision about HMIC), after paragraph 6 insert—
6A(1)The chief officer of police of a police force must—
(a)provide to an inspector such information and documents specified or described in a notification given by the inspector to that chief officer, and
(b)produce or deliver up to the inspector all such evidence and other things so specified or described,
as appear to the inspector to be required for the purposes of an inspection under section 54.
(2)A notification under sub-paragraph (1) requiring any information or documents to be provided may authorise or require that they be provided electronically.
(3)Anything that a chief officer is obliged to provide, produce or deliver up by virtue of a requirement imposed under sub-paragraph (1) must be provided, produced or delivered up in such form and manner, and within such period, as may be specified—
(a)in the notification imposing the requirement, or
(b)in any subsequent notification given by the inspector to the chief officer.
(4)Nothing in this paragraph requires a chief officer—
(a)to comply with an obligation imposed under sub-paragraph (1) before the earliest time at which it is practicable to do so, or
(b)to comply at all with any such obligation if it never becomes practicable to do so.
(5)In this paragraph—
“document” means anything in which information of any description is recorded, and
“inspector” means—
an inspector of constabulary, or
a person appointed under section 56 as an assistant inspector of constabulary or staff officer to the inspectors of constabulary.
6B(1)Sub-paragraph (2) applies if—
(a)an inspector requires the chief officer of police of a police force to allow the inspector to have access to any premises occupied for the purposes of that force and to documents and other things on those premises, and
(b)the requirement is imposed for the purposes of an inspection under section 54.
(2)The chief officer must secure that the required access is allowed to the inspector.
(3)Where there are reasonable grounds for not allowing the inspector to have the required access at the time at which the inspector seeks to have it, the obligation under sub-paragraph (2) has effect as an obligation to secure that the required access is allowed to the inspector at the earliest practicable time specified by the inspector after there cease to be any such grounds.
(4)In this paragraph “document” and “inspector” have the same meanings as in paragraph 6A.”.