Police Reform Act 2002
Encyclopedia
The Police Reform Act 2002 (c.30) is an Act
of the Parliament
of the United Kingdom
.
Amongst the provisions of the Act are the creation of the role of Police Community Support Officer
, who have some police powers whilst not being 'sworn in' constables, and the ability for Chief Constable
s to confer a more limited range of police powers on other (non-sworn in) individuals as part of Community Safety Accreditation Scheme
s.
Vehicles should be issued with a warning first, unless this is impracticable. An example of it being impractical would be the offenders leaving the vehicle/making off or the vehicle being unregistered and unable to be traced - therefore a warning unable to be placed. If an officer also believes a warning has been given within the past 12 months, but not recorded on the Police National Computer
, they can seize the vehicle immediately. Furthermore, if the officer believes the warning will disregarded or not heeded, they may seize the vehicle immediately.
Acts of Parliament in the United Kingdom
An Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom is a type of legislation called primary legislation. These Acts are passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom at Westminster, or by the Scottish Parliament at Edinburgh....
of the Parliament
Parliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Amongst the provisions of the Act are the creation of the role of Police Community Support Officer
Police community support officer
A police community support officer , or community support officer is a uniformed non-warranted officer employed by a territorial police force or the British Transport Police in England and Wales. Police community support officers were introduced in September 2002 by the Police Reform Act 2002...
, who have some police powers whilst not being 'sworn in' constables, and the ability for Chief Constable
Chief Constable
Chief constable is the rank used by the chief police officer of every territorial police force in the United Kingdom except for the City of London Police and the Metropolitan Police, as well as the chief officers of the three 'special' national police forces, the British Transport Police, Ministry...
s to confer a more limited range of police powers on other (non-sworn in) individuals as part of Community Safety Accreditation Scheme
Community Safety Accreditation Scheme
Community Safety Accreditation Schemes are a means by which the Chief Constable of a police force in the United Kingdom may grant a limited range of police powers to employees of non-police organisations who contribute towards community safety. Community Safety Accreditation Schemes were created...
s.
Section 59
Section 59 of the Act is a common tool now used by police officers and Police Community Support Officers to seize vehicles being used in an anti-social manner. Vehicles can be seized if the police officer/PCSO reasonably believes that a mechanically propelled vehicle is being used in a manner:- causing, or likely to cause alarm, distress or annoyance to the public,
- and:
- contravening section 3 (careless/inconsiderate driving), or
- contravening section 34 (prohibition of off-road driving/driving other than a road) of the Road Traffic Act 1988.
Vehicles should be issued with a warning first, unless this is impracticable. An example of it being impractical would be the offenders leaving the vehicle/making off or the vehicle being unregistered and unable to be traced - therefore a warning unable to be placed. If an officer also believes a warning has been given within the past 12 months, but not recorded on the Police National Computer
Police National Computer
The Police National Computer is a computer system used extensively by law enforcement organisations across the United Kingdom. It went live in 1974 and now consists of several databases available 24 hours a day, giving access to information of national and local significance.From October 2009, the...
, they can seize the vehicle immediately. Furthermore, if the officer believes the warning will disregarded or not heeded, they may seize the vehicle immediately.
External links
- Explanatory note to the Act from the Office of Public Sector InformationOffice of Public Sector InformationThe Office of Public Sector Information is the body responsible for the operation of Her Majesty's Stationery Office and of other public information services of the United Kingdom...
.