Written question asked by Peter Bottomley (Conservative) on Tuesday, 26 October 1999, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 2 November 1999. It was answered by Charles Clarke (Labour) on Tuesday, 2 November 1999 on behalf of the Home Office.

Home Office

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what subjects are covered in Home Office guidance to chief police officers; when the guidance on police complaints and discipline procedures was (a) last placed in the Library and (b) last revised; and if he will make each updated version available on the web. - Inc ref to 'Guidance on Police Unsatisfactory Performance, Complaints and Misconduct Procedures' and revised version, copies to be placed in Library.

Answer: Mr. Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what subjects are covered in Home Office guidance to chief police officers; when the guidance on police complaints and discipline procedures was (a) last placed in the Library and (b) last revised; and if he will make each updated version available on the web. [96466] Mr. Charles Clarke: Home Office guidance to chief officers covers a wide range of subjects. There is no single list of all the guidance which has been given, although the Home Office library does maintain a list of Home Office Circulars to chief officers. The list covers a good deal of the guidance which has been issued since 1969. The Home Office "Guidance to Chief Officers on Police Complaints and Discipline Procedures" was last amended in 1990 and placed in the Library in 1991. This guidance has now been largely replaced by the "Guidance on Police Unsatisfactory Performance, Complaints and Misconduct Procedures", which relates to the new procedures relating to police conduct introduced on 1 April 1999. This new guidance has also been placed in the Library. It is due to be revised shortly by the addition of a section dealing with senior officer conduct. The revised version will be placed in the Library, and published on the internet, along with any subsequent revisions.

Secondary information