The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2004

Police

25.  After section 64, insert the following sections –

“Police Service of Northern Ireland and the Police Service of Northern Ireland Reserve

64A.— (1) For the purposes of Part II, the holding of the office of constable as a police officer shall be treated as employment –

(a) by the Chief Constable as respects any act done by him in relation to that office or a holder of it;

(b) by the Policing Board as respects any act done by it in relation to that office or the holder of it.

(2) For the purposes of section 58 –

(a) the holding of the office of constable as a police officer shall be treated as employment by the Chief Constable (and as not being employment by any other person); and

(b) anything done by a person holding such an office in the performance, or purported performance, of his functions shall be treated as done in the course of that employment.

(3) There shall be paid out of funds put at the disposal of the Chief Constable under section 10(5) of the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2000(1) –

(a) any compensation, damages or costs awarded against the Chief Constable in any proceedings brought against him under Part II, and any costs incurred by him in any such proceedings so far as not recovered by him in the proceedings; and

(b) any sum required by the Chief Constable for the settlement of any claim made against him under Part II if the settlement is approved by the Policing Board.

(4) The Chief Constable may, in such cases and to such extent as appear to him to be appropriate, pay –

(a) any compensation, damages or costs awarded in proceedings under Part II against a police officer;

(b) any costs incurred and not recovered by a police officer in such proceedings; and

(c) any sum required in connection with the settlement of a claim that has or might have given rise to such proceedings if the settlement is approved by the Policing Board.

(5) The Chief Constable may make arrangements for the legal representation of a police officer in any proceedings mentioned in subsection (4).

(6) This section –

(a) applies in relation to a person serving with the Police Service of Northern Ireland by virtue of section 98 of the Police Act 1996(2) or section 23 of the Police Act 1997(3) as it applies in relation to a police officer;

(b) applies in relation to a police officer who by virtue of paragraph 7(2)(a) or 8(4)(a) of Schedule 3 to the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 1998(4) is under the direction and control of the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland as if –

(i) in subsection (1) the reference to the Chief Constable included a reference to the Ombudsman;

(ii) in subsections (2), (4) and (5) the references to the Chief Constable were references to the Ombudsman.

Other police bodies

64B.— (1) For the purposes of Part II, the holding of the office of constable otherwise than as a police officer shall be treated as employment –

(a) by the chief officer of police as respects any act done by him in relation to that office or a holder of it;

(b) by the police authority as respects any act done by it in relation to that office or the holder of it;

(2) For the purposes of section 58 –

(a) the holding of the office of constable otherwise than as a police officer shall be treated as employment by the chief officer of police (and as not being employment by any other person); and

(b) anything done by a person holding such an office in the performance, or purported performance, of his functions shall be treated as done in the course of that employment.

(3) There shall be paid out of the police fund –

(a) any compensation, damages or costs awarded against a chief officer of police in any proceedings brought against him under Part II, and any costs incurred by him in any such proceedings so far as not recovered by him in the proceedings; and

(b) any sum required by a chief officer of police for the settlement of any claim made against him under Part II if the settlement is approved by the police authority.

(4) A police authority may, in such cases and to such extent as appear to it to be appropriate, pay out of the police fund –

(a) any compensation, damages or costs awarded in proceedings under Part II against a person under the direction and control of the chief officer of police;

(b) any costs incurred and not recovered by such a person in such proceedings; and

(c) any sum required in connection with the settlement of a claim that has or might have given rise to such proceedings.

(5) A police authority may make arrangements for the legal representation of any person under the direction and control of the chief officer of police in any proceedings mentioned in subsection (4).

(6) Subject to subsection (8), in this section –

“chief officer of police” means –

(a)

in relation to the National Criminal Intelligence Service, the Director General of that Service;

(b)

in relation to any other body of constables, the person who has the direction and control of the body in question;

“police authority” means –

(a)

in relation to the National Criminal Intelligence Service, the Service Authority for the National Criminal Intelligence Service;

(b)

in relation to any other body of constables, the authority by which the members of the body are paid;

“police fund” means –

(a)

in relation to the National Criminal Intelligence Service, the service fund under section 16 of the Police Act 1997;

(b)

in relation to any other body of constables, money provided by the authority by which the members of the body are paid.

(7) Nothing in subsections (3) to (6) applies in relation to the police.

(8) In relation to a constable of a force who is not under the direction and control of the chief officer of police for that force, references in this section to the chief officer of police are references to the chief officer of the force under whose direction and control he is, and references in this section to the police authority are references to the relevant police authority for that force.”.

(1)

2000 c. 32

(2)

1996 c. 16

(3)

1997 c. 50

(4)

1998 c. 32