Latest changes – armed policing

SACMILL statement link added 

further minor content changes made throughout to reflect moving from the AEP L60A2 to AEP A3  

Paragraph (below) removed from section titled 'Optical sights and observation equipment'. 

Dstl has produced a document that will help forces choose an appropriate sighting system: HOSDB (2001) Optical sights for use with Police Firearms 06/01. (Available to authorised members of the police service on request, see Dstl (opens an external website in the same tab).)

Content changes made throughout to reflect moving from the AEP L60A2 to AEP A3  

Changed paragraph to direct quote from Section 12 Police Reform Act:

“A DSI matter means any circumstances (unless the circumstances are or have been the subject of a complaint or amount to a conduct matter) in or as a result of a person’s death or serious injury and:

• at the time of the DSI, the person had been arrested by a person serving with the police and had not been released, or was detained in the custody of a person serving with the police.

or:

at or before the time of the DSI, the person had direct or indirect contact with a person serving with the police who was acting in the execution of their duties, and there is an indication that the contact may have directly or indirectly caused or contributed to the DSI. This sub-category excludes contact that a person suffering the DSI had while acting in the execution of their duties as a person serving with the police” (see Police Reform Act 2002, s 12, as amended by the Policing and Crime Act 2017)

Removed broken links to Use of Force Reporting Form Guidance and criteria for mandatory referral.

Changes made to the following subsections:

• Post-incident procedures – media management bullet amended.
• Protecting the identity of officers and staff – deletion of a paragraph, two added, one amended.
• Progress of the investigation – penultimate paragraph amended, inclusion of quote.
• Special leave or suspension – last paragraph amended adding a sentence and changing KPW to officers/staff.
• Media releases – 'via the PIM' added and PIM changed for chief officer (or delegated senior officer) in the same penultimate paragraph.
• Chief officer (or delegated senior officer) – added a bullet point next to last.

Added link to Code of Ethics under 'Consider powers and policy'.

Interviews

First sentence: "Police should be guided by the Code of Ethics and standards of professional behaviour" has been changed to "The police service should be guided by the Ethical policing principles and the Guidance for ethical and professional behaviour in policing."

Added a link to the Code of Ethics page.

Integrity

First paragraph refers to Code of Ethics (2014) and code of practice citing principles and standards - deleted these. 2nd paragraph refers to The Code of Ethics and has an old link.

Added new wording to reference 2023 Code of Ethics. Removed reference to the Police Staff Council Handbook as this reference has been removed completely from the Code of Ethics.

Updated links to Code of Ethics and the Code of Practice. 

Addition of content to existing sections on:

• 'Assess threat and risk and develop a working strategy'
• 'Briefing'
• 'Briefing' – '5. Keeping a record'

• Amendment to existing section on 'Command roles and functions' – addition of content about separation of responsibilities of different functions.
• Addition of new section and content with subheading 'Planning meetings', beneath 'Initial command responsibility'.
• Amendment to existing section on 'Sustained public protection' – addition of content about balancing risk and sufficiency of evidence, and consulting with sentencing guidelines.
• Amendment to replace the term 'imminent' with 'real and immediate' in the existing section, 'Approval and authorisation of tactical plans'.
• Amendment to bulleted lists of responsibilities for both strategic firearms commanders (SFCs) and tactical firearms commanders (TFCs), to clarify that 'actions and decisions are recorded in accordance with national minimum standards'.
• Renamed heading 'Occupational and operational competence within command roles' to 'Selection and accreditation for command and tactical advisor roles', and added content relating to an auditable selection process for SFCs and TFCs. 
• Addition of new content beneath existing heading 'Re-accreditation and refresher process for commanders and tactical advisors'.

Amendments to replace the term 'imminent' with 'real and immediate' – this change affects content under the existing sections, 'Critical shot' and 'Threat to life'.

Change to existing section on 'Lawful orders' to replace the term 'order' with 'authorisation'.

Amendment to existing sections on:

• 'Special leave or suspension from duty' – addition of circumstance where key police witnesses (KPWs) should not contact colleagues in the police service.
• 'Authorisation' – addition of content around making evidence-based assessments about permitting officers and staff to resume duties.

Addition of new content about 'Body-worn video' beneath existing section on 'Record information'.

• Addition of new heading 'Command authorisation to use force'.
• 'Access to decisive information' moved below new heading 'Command authorisation to use force'.
• Addition of new heading 'Rifle-initiated entry to save life' and associated new content.
• Amendment to replace the term 'imminent' with 'real and immediate' in the existing section, 'Influencing factors'.

Changes made to section 'Authority to deploy AFOs'.

Change made to third sentence of the third paragraph – 'Where practicable, any subsequently authorised armed deployment should be subject to appropriate tactical advice.'

'Should' changed to 'must'.

Additional text to Stage 3 – personal initial accounts and Stage 4 – detailed accounts, statements and interviews, about formal documentation due to possible subsequent legal, conduct or coronial proceedings.

Destruction of animals – wording change from should to must – 'Where time permits, a firearms tactical advisor must be contacted.'

Amended content for 'Standing authority for the issue and carriage of firearms' and new section added below - Protection and Vulnerability Mitigation (PVM) arrangements.

Updated changes to Taser APP document.

Broken links to tables amended.

Fixed link to the decommissioned document list.

Updated CED leaflet links.

Risk factors section - replaced (SACMILL) with (DOMILL) Effects section - added 'is after 'but it'.

Medical assessment section replaced (within aftercare section) CED information leaflets section replaced.

Amended location of a reference from MLE to Knowledge Hub.

Amend to section on de-escalation of conflict

Amends made to ballistic protection section.

Updated content

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Updated content and changed title of module.

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Reference documents added to support the latest T7 model.

Updated content to reflect latest model.

Post-deployment replaced with updated version.

Content for Use of force reporting amended.

Update IPCC to IOPC and amend link to IOPC guidance.

Replaced 2013 Home Office Code of Practice with new College 2020 Code of Practice on Armed Policing and Police use of Less Lethal Weapons.

Updated wording around percussion grenades.

Correct link added to pdf of ‘Home Office (2003) Code of Practice on the Police use of Firearms and Less Lethal Weapons.

Removed incorrect link to Home Office (2003) Code of Practice on the Police use of Firearms and Less Lethal Weapons.

Changes to include explanation around critical and conventional shots; terminology change – direction replaced by tasking.

Changes to include explanation around critical and conventional shots; terminology change – direction replaced by tasking.

Minor amendment wording around weapons and exhibits - formatting.

Updated information leaflets for use of Taser.

Various change to maintain currency in line with review.

Update to reflect new authorised model.

New reference material added - information leaflets.

Update to information on Taser.

Update to information on Taser.

Update to information on Taser.

Update to information on Taser.

Addition of paragraph concerning sustained public protection, the balance of operational risk associated with surveillance operations and armed intervention.

Addition of paragraph concerning sustained public protection, the balance of operational risk associated with surveillance operations and armed intervention.

Who should conduct an organisational learning debrief:

Addition of paragraph concerning sustained public protection, the balance of operational risk associated with surveillance operations and armed intervention. 

Addition of information on operational debrief; clarification of information on separation.

Changes to the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) reflected throughout this APP.