The Police (Performance) Regulations 2020

Attendance of others at a third stage meeting

42.—(1) Subject to regulations 40 and 41 and paragraph (10) of this regulation, the third stage meeting must be in private.

(2) A human resources professional and a police officer may attend the meeting to advise the panel on the proceedings.

(3) A relevant lawyer may attend the meeting to advise the panel on the proceedings and on any question of law that may arise at the meeting.

(4) Where the officer concerned is a special constable, the appropriate authority must appoint a special constable with sufficient seniority and experience to act as an adviser to the panel, who must attend the meeting.

(5) A person nominated by the Director General may, as an observer, attend a third stage meeting held under regulation 32 and arising from a case to which—

(a) paragraph 18 or 19 of Schedule 3 to the 2002 Act (investigations directed by or by the Director General) applied, or

(b) paragraph 16 of that Schedule (investigations by the appropriate authority on its own behalf) applied and in relation to which—

(i) the Director General—

(aa) made a recommendation under paragraph 25(4C)(c) of that Schedule (reviews with respect to an investigation) which the appropriate authority accepted;

(bb) made a recommendation under paragraph 27(3A) of that Schedule (recommendation of Director General to appropriate authority) which the appropriate authority accepted, or

(cc) gave a direction under paragraph 27(4)(a) of that Schedule (direction by Director General where appropriate authority does not take steps to secure that full effect is given to Director General’s recommendation), or

(ii) a local policing body made a recommendation under paragraph 25(4E)(c) of that Schedule (reviews with respect to an investigation) which the appropriate authority accepted.

(6) In a case where a person nominated by the Director General is entitled to attend the third stage meeting, the appropriate authority must notify the Director General of the date, time and place of the meeting.

(7) Any other person specified in the notice to the officer concerned in accordance with regulation 31(1)(i) or 33(1)(l) may attend the meeting if the officer consents.

(8) Subject to any contrary decision by the panel chair, a witness other than a complainant, interested person or the officer concerned may only attend the third stage meeting for the purposes of giving their evidence.

(9) The panel chair may, at the panel chair’s discretion, permit a witness in the third stage meeting to be accompanied at that meeting by one other person.

(10) Where a third stage meeting held under regulation 32 arises from a case to which paragraph 19 of Schedule 3 to the 2002 Act (investigations by the Director General) applied, and the Director General considers that, because of the gravity of the case or other exceptional circumstances, it would be in the public interest to do so, the Director General may, having consulted with—

(a) the appropriate authority;

(b) the officer concerned;

(c) the complainant or interested person;

(d) any witnesses,

direct that the whole or part of the third stage meeting be in public.

(11) The panel is under a duty to comply with a direction given under paragraph (10).

(12) A direction under paragraph (10), together with the reasons for it, must be notified as soon as practicable, and in any event before the end of 5 working days beginning with the first working day after the decision was taken, to the persons consulted under that paragraph.

(13) The panel chair may impose such conditions as the panel chair sees fit relating to the attendance under regulation 41 or this regulation of persons at the third stage meeting (including circumstances in which they may be excluded) in order to facilitate the proper conduct of the meeting.