The Police (Conduct) Regulations 2020

Police friend

7.—(1) The officer concerned may choose—

(a) a police officer;

(b) a police staff member, or

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

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

(2) Subject to regulation 66(1), the police friend may—

(a) advise the officer concerned throughout the proceedings under these Regulations;

(b) represent the officer at the misconduct proceedings or accelerated misconduct hearing or appeal meeting, unless the officer has the right to be legally represented and chooses to be so represented;

(c) make representations to the appropriate authority concerning any aspect of the proceedings under these Regulations, and

(d) accompany the officer to any interview, meeting or hearing which forms part of any proceedings under these Regulations.

(3) Where the police friend is a police officer or a police staff member, the chief officer of police of the force of which the police friend is a member must permit the police friend to use a reasonable amount of duty time for the purposes referred to in paragraph (2).

(4) The reference in paragraph (3) to the force of which the police friend is a member includes 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.