PART 7

Miscellaneous and general

Disclosure of information by police

Guidance about the disclosure of information by police forces
77
1
The Secretary of State must issue guidance to chief officers of police about the disclosure of police information by police forces for the purposes of preventing domestic abuse.
“Police information” means information held by a police force.
2
Each chief officer of police of a police force must have regard to any guidance issued under this section.
3
The Secretary of State may from time to time revise any guidance issued under this section.
4
Before issuing or revising guidance under this section, the Secretary of State must consult—
a
the Domestic Abuse Commissioner,
b
the National Police Chiefs’ Council, and
c
such other persons as the Secretary of State considers appropriate.
5
Subsection (4) does not apply in relation to any revisions of guidance issued under this section if the Secretary of State considers the proposed revisions of the guidance are insubstantial.
6
The Secretary of State must publish—
a
any guidance issued under this section, and
b
any revisions of that guidance.
7
In this section—
- “chief officer of police” means—
  1. in relation to the British Transport Police Force, the Chief Constable of that Force;
  2. in relation to any other police force, the chief officer of police of that force;
- “police force” means—
  1. a police force maintained by a local policing body, or
  2. the British Transport Police Force.