Police Reform Act 2002

Police Reform Act 2002

2002 CHAPTER 30

The Act

Commentary on Sections

Part 4: Escort Officers

Section 40: Community safety accreditation schemes

239. This section enables a chief officer of police to establish and maintain a scheme that accredits suitably skilled and trained non-police employees with powers to undertake specified functions in the support of the police. For example, a chief officer may accredit street wardens employed by the local authority with powers to address some anti-social behaviour offences.

240. Subsections (1) and (2) of this section enable the chief officer of a force to establish and maintain a community safety accreditation scheme in order that some of the powers normally available to police constables or others could be conferred on persons accredited under this scheme. Subsection (3) sets out the purposes of such a scheme. Subsections (4) and (5) list those whom chief officers must consult before establishing a community safety accreditation scheme in their police area. The Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police must consult the Metropolitan Police Authority, the Mayor of London, and every local authority any part of whose area lies within the police area. Every other chief officer must consult with the relevant police authority for that area and every local authority any part of whose area lies within the police area.

241. Subsection (7) requires that annual policing plans (prepared under section 8 of the 1996 Act) and drafts of such plans must detail the existence or otherwise of a community safety accreditation scheme in the area and any proposals to introduce such a scheme or modify an existing scheme. Annual plans should also detail the arrangements for powers to be extended to police support staff, and how the community safety accreditation scheme supplements this.

242. Subsection (8) ensures that a community safety accreditation scheme will require that arrangements be made with employers in the local police area. These arrangements will establish the supervision by these employers of those employees who have had conferred on them some of the powers normally available to a police constable or others.