The Police (Complaints and Misconduct) Regulations 2012

Police friend

17.—(1) Where the person concerned is a police officer he may choose—

(a) a police officer;

(b) a police staff member; or

(c) where the officer concerned is a member of a police force, a person nominated by his staff association,

who is not otherwise involved in the matter to act as his police friend.

(2) Where the person concerned is a police staff member he may choose—

(a) a person employed by a trade union of which he is an official within the meaning of sections 1 and 119 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 (meaning of trade union);

(b) an official of a trade union (within that meaning) whom the union has reasonably certified in writing as having experience of, or as having received training in, acting as a police staff member’s companion at disciplinary proceedings;

(c) a police officer;

(d) a police staff member; or

(e) any other person nominated by the person concerned and approved by the chief officer of the force in which a police staff member is serving,

who is not otherwise involved in the matter to act as his police friend.

(3) A police friend may—

(a) provide any relevant document to the investigator in accordance with paragraph 19C(2)(b) of Schedule 3 to the 2002 Act (power to prescribe persons who may provide submissions to the investigator);

(b) accompany the officer concerned to any interview conducted under regulation 19;

(c) advise the person concerned throughout proceedings under these Regulations; and

(d) make representations to the Commission concerning any aspect of the proceedings under these Regulations.

(4) Where a police friend is a police officer or a police staff member, the chief officer of the force of which the police friend is a member shall permit him to use a reasonable amount of duty time for the purposes referred to in paragraph (3).

(5) The reference in paragraph (4) to the force of which the police friend is a member shall include a reference to the force maintained for the police area for which a special constable is appointed and the force in which a police staff member is serving.