The Police Act 1996
c 16
is an Act of the

Parliament of the United Kingdom The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative suprema ...

which defined the current

police area A police area is the area for which a territorial police force in the United Kingdom is responsible for policing. Every location in the United Kingdom has a designated territorial police force with statutory responsibility for providing pol ...

s in England and Wales, constituted police authorities for those areas, and set out the relationship between the

Home Secretary The secretary of state for the Home Department, otherwise known as the home secretary, is a senior minister of the Crown in the Government of the United Kingdom. The home secretary leads the Home Office, and is responsible for all national ...

and the English and Welsh

territorial police force A territorial police force is a police service that is responsible for an area defined by sub-national boundaries, distinguished from other police services which deal with the entire country or a type of crime. In countries organized as federations, ...

s. It replaced the Police and Magistrates' Courts Act 1994, which in turn had replaced the

Police Act 1964 The Police Act 1964 (1964 c.48) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that updated the legislation governing police forces in England and Wales, constituted new police authorities, gave the Home Secretary new powers to supervise lo ...

Part I Organisation of Police Forces

Sections 1 to 35 concern the national and regional organisation of the police force, with slightly differently applicable rules inside and outside London.

Part II Central Supervision, Direction and Facilities

Sections 36 to 58 concern the functions of the Secretary of State in setting the police forces' objectives, handling budgets, and making more detailed regulations.

Part III Police Representative Institutions

Sections 59 to 64 concern the Police Federation of England and Wales and related rules. Section 64 contains the prohibition (in place since the

Police Act 1919 {{Unreferenced, date=June 2019, bot=noref (GreenC bot) The Police Act 1919 (9 & 10 Geo. 5, c.46) was an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom which set up an alternative dispute resolution system within UK labour law for collective disputes invol ...

) on police becoming members of a

trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...

which can take

strike action Strike action, also called labor strike, labour strike, or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to Labor (economics), work. A strike usually takes place in response to grievance (labour), employee grievance ...

, under the

Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 The Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992c 52 is a UK Act of Parliament which regulates United Kingdom labour law. The Act applies in full in England and Wales and in Scotland, and partially in Northern Ireland. The law con ...

. The Police Federation was thought to be a substitute, given the potential for civil unrest that might develop if police stopped working to go on strike. This was thought to make the police exceptional, and as an alternative, a system of arbitration to resolve workplace disputes was instituted. The constitution of the Police Federation is set out in the amended Police Federation Regulations 1969.

Part IV Complaints, disciplinary proceedings etc.

Sections 65 to 88 concern the rules of the

Police Complaints Authority This is a list of notable authorities, agencies and similar bodies that are responsible for investigating or responding to complaints about police. Asia Hong Kong *Independent Police Complaints Council India * Police Complaints Authority (In ...

, handling complaints made against the police, and procedures for disciplinary hearings and dismissal of officers.

Part V Miscellaneous and General

Section 89(1) creates the offence of

assaulting a constable in the execution of his duty Assaulting a constable in the execution of his duty is a statutory offence of aggravated assault in England and Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Hong Kong. England and Wales Section 89(1) of the Police Act 1996 provides: It is a summary ...

. Subsequently, the

Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act 2018 The Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act 2018 (c. 23) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The act addresses policy issues related to attacks on emergency workers, especially government-employed officers, and defines specif ...

increased the maximum sentence on summary conviction to 12 months.

References

United Kingdom Acts of Parliament 1996 Law enforcement in the United Kingdom Police legislation in the United Kingdom {{UK-statute-stub