Overview of the latest changes to APP.
APP is subject to review (either scheduled or triggered) in consultation with the relevant National Policing Business Area. All amendments go through a review process and further information is available from contactus@college.police.uk
More detailed changes to APP content may be recorded separately by the the APP team. If you require a copy of APP as it was on a particular date (for example, for an enquiry) please email contactcentre@college.police.uk. All requests must be approved by the relevant Policing Standards Manager.
Latest changes to APP
| Date | Category | Guidance | Changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Major investigation and public protection > Missing persons | Specific investigations | The British Transport Police section has been rewritten and updated. |
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| Investigation | Working with suspects | Under the heading 'Points to consider' the following link was broken: R v Turnbull (1977) QB 224 This has now been replaced with: R v Turnbull |
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| Civil emergencies > Disaster victim identification | Disaster victim identification - Guidance overview | Under the 'Home Office' heading, the team responsible for coordinating the mass fatality response has been updated from the Fire Resilience and Major Events Team (FRaME) to the emergency response team (ERT). |
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| Mental health | Mental vulnerability and illness | Under 'Crisis or medical information cards and services' the following changes were made:
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| Armed policing | Issue and carriage of firearms | 03/06/2025 - new paragraph added called 'Selection of AFOs' and order of the sections changed to be more chronological. Section called 'Suitability for the AFO role' changed to 'Continued suitability for the AFO role'. The word 'particularly' removed from 'Request to temporarily stand down' section. |
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| Critical incident management | Phase 2 – managing critical incidents | Removal of paragraph 'This is a developing area of work. Forces wishing to develop a tactical capacity for spontaneous incidents should contact the MPS CI team for further information' under Spontaneous incidents. Removal of reference to MPS using CITA's and made a general reference to the use of CITAs. |
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| Investigation | Managing effective investigations | Updated links to Investigator PIP 1, Investigator PIP, Level 3 – Manager or expert advisor roles in the professional profiles and Level 4 – Service function leader in the professional profiles. |
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| Detention and custody > Detainee care | Detainee individual needs | In the 'Gender reassignment' section
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| Major investigation and public protection | Knife crime | Changed reference to - National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC), Crown Prosecution Service (2020) Knife crime practical guidance - and removed sentence afterwards - 'This guidance is for police officers and prosecutors.' New reference - Crown Prosecution Service (2025) Knife and other weapons offences. |
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| Investigation | Working with victims and witnesses | Additional links added to the 'Further information' section at the bottom of the page. This is in response to a recommendation from the Nicola Bulley enquiry. The links added are:
Family liaison strategy templates:
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