65.Section 97 of the Police Act 1996 deals with a police officer’s status while on relevant service, which is service outside the officer’s force. For an officer to be on relevant service, he must be on service falling within section 97(1). To date, the approach to section 97 has been to amend it on a case by case basis to list the particular types of service that are to constitute relevant service. Section 10 amends the Police Act 1996 to provide for an order-making power to amend section 97 to add further types of service which would constitute relevant service.
66.This section also amends the Police Pensions Act 1976 to include an order-making power to make the necessary related amendments to that Act. This is to ensure that when a police officer is on relevant service, he or she will remain within the scope of his or her police pension scheme.
67.Before making these orders, the Secretary of State is required to send a draft to the Police Advisory Board for England and Wales and to take into consideration any representations from that Board.