Part 1

Police reform
CHAPTER 7

Other provisions relating to policing and crime and disorder

Requirement for national policing capabilities

The strategic policing requirement
77
1
For section 37A of the Police Act 1996 (setting of strategic priorities for police authorities), substitute—

The strategic policing requirement
37A
1
The Secretary of State must, from time to time, issue a document (the “strategic policing requirement”) which sets out what, in the Secretary of State’s view, are—
a
national threats at the time the document is issued, and
b
appropriate national policing capabilities to counter those national threats.
2
A chief officer of police must, in exercising the functions of chief officer, have regard to the strategic policing requirement.
3
Before issuing the strategic policing requirement, the Secretary of State—
a
must obtain the advice of—
i
such persons as appear to the Secretary of State to represent the views of chief officers of police, and
ii
such persons as appear to the Secretary of State to represent the views of local policing bodies, and
b
must consult such other persons as the Secretary of State thinks fit.
4
The strategic policing requirement need not set out a national threat (in particular) if, in the Secretary of State’s view, countering the threat would involve police forces other than England and Wales police forces (and only those other police forces).
5
References in this section to national policing capabilities to counter a threat are references to the ability of all England and Wales police forces—
a
to exercise one or more functions to counter that threat,
b
to exercise one or more functions in one or more particular ways to counter that threat, or
c
to exercise one or more functions in accordance with common operational standards to counter that threat.
6
In this section—
- “England and Wales police force” means—
  1. a police force maintained under section 2,
  2. the metropolitan police force, and
  3. the City of London police force;
- “national threat” means a threat (whether actual or prospective) which is—
  1. a threat to national security, public safety, public order or public confidence that is of such gravity as to be of national importance, or
  2. a threat which can be countered effectively or efficiently only by national policing capabilities to counter the threat.
.