- Latest available (Revised)
- Original (As enacted)
Police Act 1996
You are here:
What Version
Advanced Features
- Show Geographical Extent(e.g. England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland)
- Show Timeline of Changes
Opening Options
More Resources
Changes over time for: Section 39A
Alternative versions:
Changes to legislation:
Police Act 1996, Section 39A is up to date with all changes known to be in force on or before 23 June 2024. There are changes that may be brought into force at a future date. Changes that have been made appear in the content and are referenced with annotations.
Changes to Legislation
Revised legislation carried on this site may not be fully up to date. Changes and effects are recorded by our editorial team in lists which can be found in the ‘Changes to Legislation’ area. Where those effects have yet to be applied to the text of the legislation by the editorial team they are also listed alongside the legislation in the affected provisions. Use the ‘more’ link to open the changes and effects relevant to the provision you are viewing.
Changes and effects yet to be applied to the whole Act associated Parts and Chapters:
Whole provisions yet to be inserted into this Act (including any effects on those provisions):
- s. 53B-53D and cross-heading inserted by 2009 c. 26 s. 2(1) (This amendment not applied to legislation.gov.uk. S. 2(1) omitted (16.1.2012) without ever being in force by virtue of 2011 c. 13, s. 157(1), Sch. 16 para. 378; S.I. 2011/3019, art. 3, Sch. 1)
- s. 53B(3)(c) words substituted by 2017 c. 3 Sch. 14 para. 6 7(c) (This amendment not applied to legislation.gov.uk. S. 53B was never inserted as the amending provision (2009 c. 26, s. 2(1)) was omitted without ever being in force by virtue of 2011 c. 13, s. 157(1), Sch. 16 para. 378; S.I. 2011/3019, art. 3, Sch. 1)
- s. 53B(6)(b) words substituted by 2017 c. 3 Sch. 14 para. 6 7(c) (This amendment not applied to legislation.gov.uk. S. 53B was never inserted as the amending provision (2009 c. 26, s. 2(1)) was omitted without ever being in force by virtue of 2011 c. 13, s. 157(1), Sch. 16 para. 378; S.I. 2011/3019, art. 3, Sch. 1)
- Sch. 4A para. 2(2)(ia) inserted by 2024 c. 21 s. 24(2)
- Sch. 4A para. 5(7)(8) inserted by 2024 c. 21 s. 24(3)
[F139A Codes of practice for chief officersE+W
[F2(1)The College of Policing may, with the approval of the Secretary of State, issue codes of practice relating to the discharge of their functions by chief officers of police if the College considers that—
(a)it is necessary to do so in order to promote the efficiency and effectiveness of police forces generally,
(b)it is necessary to do so in order to facilitate the carrying out by members of any two or more police forces of joint or co-ordinated operations, or
(c)it is for any other reason in the national interest to do so.]
(2)[F3The College of Policing may, with the approval of the Secretary of State,] from time to time revise the whole or any part of a code of practice issued under this section.
F4(3). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
[F5(4)The College of Policing shall consult with the National Crime Agency before issuing or revising a code of practice under this section.]
(5)The Secretary of State shall lay any code of practice issued by [F6the College of Policing] under this section, and any revision of any such code, before Parliament.
(6)The Secretary of State shall not be required by subsection (5) to lay before Parliament, or may exclude from what he does so lay, anything the publication of which, in his opinion—
(a)would be against the interests of national security;
(b)could prejudice the prevention or detection of crime or the apprehension or prosecution of offenders; or
(c)could jeopardise the safety of any person.
(7)In discharging any function to which a code of practice under this section relates, a chief officer of police shall have regard to the code.]
Textual Amendments
F1S. 39A inserted (1.10.2002) by Police Reform Act 2002 (c. 30), ss. 2, 108(2)-(5); S.I. 2002/2306, art. 2(a)
F2S. 39A(1) substituted (13.5.2014) by Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 (c. 12), ss. 124(2), 185(1) (with ss. 21, 33, 42, 58, 75, 93); S.I. 2014/949, art. 3, Sch. para. 10
F3Words in s. 39A(2) substituted (13.5.2014) by Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 (c. 12), ss. 124(3), 185(1) (with ss. 21, 33, 42, 58, 75, 93); S.I. 2014/949, art. 3, Sch. para. 10
F4S. 39A(3) omitted (16.1.2012) by virtue of Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 (c. 13), s. 157(1), Sch. 16 para. 30(2); S.I. 2011/3019, art. 3, Sch. 1
F5S. 39A(4) substituted (13.5.2014) by Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 (c. 12), ss. 124(4), 185(1) (with ss. 21, 33, 42, 58, 75, 93); S.I. 2014/949, art. 3, Sch. para. 10
F6Words in s. 39A(5) substituted (13.5.2014) by Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 (c. 12), ss. 124(5), 185(1) (with ss. 21, 33, 42, 58, 75, 93); S.I. 2014/949, art. 3, Sch. para. 10
Options/Help
Print Options
PrintThe Whole Act
PrintThe Whole Part
PrintThe Whole Cross Heading
PrintThis Section only
You have chosen to open The Whole Act
The Whole Act you have selected contains over 200 provisions and might take some time to download. You may also experience some issues with your browser, such as an alert box that a script is taking a long time to run.
Would you like to continue?
You have chosen to open The Whole Act as a PDF
The Whole Act you have selected contains over 200 provisions and might take some time to download.
Would you like to continue?
You have chosen to open the Whole Act
The Whole Act you have selected contains over 200 provisions and might take some time to download. You may also experience some issues with your browser, such as an alert box that a script is taking a long time to run.
Would you like to continue?
Legislation is available in different versions:
Latest Available (revised):The latest available updated version of the legislation incorporating changes made by subsequent legislation and applied by our editorial team. Changes we have not yet applied to the text, can be found in the ‘Changes to Legislation’ area.
Original (As Enacted or Made): The original version of the legislation as it stood when it was enacted or made. No changes have been applied to the text.
See additional information alongside the content
Geographical Extent: Indicates the geographical area that this provision applies to. For further information see ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.
Show Timeline of Changes: See how this legislation has or could change over time. Turning this feature on will show extra navigation options to go to these specific points in time. Return to the latest available version by using the controls above in the What Version box.
Opening Options
Different options to open legislation in order to view more content on screen at once
More Resources
Access essential accompanying documents and information for this legislation item from this tab. Dependent on the legislation item being viewed this may include:
- the original print PDF of the as enacted version that was used for the print copy
- lists of changes made by and/or affecting this legislation item
- confers power and blanket amendment details
- all formats of all associated documents
- correction slips
- links to related legislation and further information resources
Timeline of Changes
This timeline shows the different points in time where a change occurred. The dates will coincide with the earliest date on which the change (e.g an insertion, a repeal or a substitution) that was applied came into force. The first date in the timeline will usually be the earliest date when the provision came into force. In some cases the first date is 01/02/1991 (or for Northern Ireland legislation 01/01/2006). This date is our basedate. No versions before this date are available. For further information see the Editorial Practice Guide and Glossary under Help.
More Resources
Use this menu to access essential accompanying documents and information for this legislation item. Dependent on the legislation item being viewed this may include:
- the original print PDF of the as enacted version that was used for the print copy
- correction slips
Click 'View More' or select 'More Resources' tab for additional information including:
- lists of changes made by and/or affecting this legislation item
- confers power and blanket amendment details
- all formats of all associated documents
- links to related legislation and further information resources
All content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. This site additionally contains content derived from EUR-Lex, reused under the terms of the Commission Decision 2011/833/EU on the reuse of documents from the EU institutions. For more information see the EUR-Lex public statement on re-use.