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 |
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| Major investigation and public protection > Domestic abuse | Understanding risk and vulnerability in the context of domestic abuse | Children as victims of domestic abuse - This section has been updated following receipt of product author checks. These amendments are limited to very minor punctuation or syntactical changes, removing capitals when unnecessary and updating a report date. |
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| Major investigation and public protection > Domestic abuse | Victim safety and support | Contact from prisoners and Sanctuary schemes sub-sections were amended following receipt of product author checks. These sections were recently amended (contact was new) from a DA super-complaint and PA checks were applied subsequently. The changes in both sections are very minimal, such as punctuation. |
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| Policing elections | Investigating electoral malpractice | Investigating electoral malpractice> Undue influence > Link to s114a RPA 1983 is broken and has been replaced with the following link - https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1983/2/section/114A |
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| Major investigation and public protection > Missing persons | Missing persons risk assessment | The following question has been added to the Initial questions for the person who has submitted the missing report question set: Has any contact from the missing person’s phone and/or social media led you to believe that the handset and/or social media accounts are in the possession of someone else?” If ‘yes,’ please explain why. |
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| Major investigation and public protection > Domestic abuse | Arrest and other positive approaches | Multiple links updated throughout 'arrest' section.
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| Major investigation and public protection > Domestic abuse | Arrest and other positive approaches | Links updated under the subsection 'arrest' in relation to the Directors Guidance on Charging now 6th edition replacing the previously listed 5th edition, and to the Joint NPCC and CPS Evidence Gathering Checklist for use by Police Forces and CPS in Cases of Domestic Abuse. |
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| Major investigation and public protection > Domestic abuse | Identification, reporting and associated investigations | Receiving the report 1st paragraph/last sentence – ‘Forces could consider…’ – deleted end of this sentence from this point and replaced with ‘recommending the use of the Police.uk online domestic abuse reporting tool.’ Link added. End of the section added two sentences – ‘Officers should carefully consider…’; ‘An incident may not…’ Child abuse investigations 1st paragraph – deleted the link to ‘In plain sight.’ Honour-based violence, forced marriage and female genital mutilation Changed title to HB abuse and removed hyphen. Changed HBV to HBA in all instances throughout section. After bullets, added a link list with preceding ‘See also:’ Added links to APP FM and HBA and APP FGM. Vulnerable adult abuse investigation Added the paragraph commencing ‘The Department of Health and Social Care…’ Including addition of a link to the Policy paper: Safe care at home review (Home Office and Department of Health and Social Care, 2023). Paragraph starting ‘Whatever the origin of the…’ - inserted ‘domestic abuse’ prior to ‘investigation.’ For further information see: Added link and signpost to APP on adults at risk; updated wording and link to Department of Health and Social Care (2024) Care and support statutory guidance; and updated link/signpost to the Safe care at home review. Stalking and harassment Title changed ‘and’ to ‘or’. Did this throughout the section. Added the following underneath original content: ‘Consider the mnemonic FOUR when assessing if behaviour is potentially stalking. Are the behaviours:
Harassment may form part of stalking behaviour, so do not underestimate the potential risk of harm to the victim. See the Advice to police responders to ensure an effective response to stalking or harassment. If the victim is at risk of harm, consider whether a Stalking Protection Order or interim order may be appropriate, depending on whether the criminal threshold has been met. For further information, see the APP on Stalking or harassment.’ Homicide Opening statement changed – removed year/percentages from ONS and added a new link, plus the sentence ‘Office for National Statistics’ data show that on an average year, around half of female homicides are perpetrated by a partner or ex-partner, compare to less than 10% of male homicides. Updated the ONS link. At the bottom of the section added ‘See also:’ and a link list. Wording and link for Domestic Homicide Project’s (2024) Domestic Homicides and Suspected Victim Suicides 2022-2023 Report; APP on FM and HBA. Suicide Title changed to Unexplained and unexpected death First paragraph rewritten. ‘A suicide’ edited to ‘An investigation into an unexplained death…background to an apparent suicide.’ Added ‘Officers should actively consider this when attending the scene and wherever possible run background checks on history of domestic abuse crimes and non-crime incidents at the time. Slower-time investigations into the history can be done subsequently.’ Added below this ‘Where there is evidence of any offences having been committed, officers should arrest and charge accordingly. ‘ ‘Where this is suspected,’ cut. Now reads: ‘Officers should also consider…’ ‘See also:’ added. Link list created and signpost and link added for
Missing person who is an alleged domestic abuse victim Changed honour based violence to HB abuse, and abbreviated HBV to HBA. Prostitution Changed title to Sex Work Replaced ‘prostitution’ with ‘sex work’ x 5. The CPS guidelines previously included and linked to, replaced with NPCC (2024) Sex Work National Police Guidance. Sexual offences Content added to the end of this section: ‘Operation Soteria is a multiyear project launched in response to the Government End-to-End Rape Review to bring in effective tools and techniques to ensure justice outcomes are achieved for sexual offences. A National Operating Model for response to rape and serious sexual assault has been developed that aims to improve policing procedures, increase charge rate and support equity across justice processes and outcomes. To apply the principles of this model when responding to sexual offences, officers should be:
About the national operating model provides further information. Related resources:
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| Major investigation and public protection > Domestic abuse | Leadership, strategic oversight and management | Made several swaps throughout from Violence to abuse - this related to Helpline references, HBV to HBA etc. Nine questions for the force Q3, bullet 7 - wording changed from 'cautioning and restorative justice' to 'out of court resolutions'. Q7, bullet 7 - '...employed by its own police force members, whether staff or officers?' Q9, bullet 2, sub-bullet 3 - added DARA before DASH. Sub-bullet added to the end 'handling of police perpetrated DA allegations and associated referrals to professional standards department for investigation? Domestic abuse as core business Beneath 'Management considerations include:' - bullet 2 - HBV Violence amended to HBA Assault. Prostitution changed for sex work. Multi-agency considerations Bullet 1 replaced LSCBs with 'other safeguarding adults or children's boards.' Meeting the welfare needs of DA specialists Deleted last sentence and link. Replaced with a reference and text related to Oscar Kilo. Performance management Deleted reference to 'There is currently no national framework...' and ref to MoJ Action plan. Added text and link to NPCC Policing VAWG. Removed 'at Annex A' Victim safety and support Bullet 3 replaced reference and link to Victims' Code. DV disclosure schemes Removed date from HO reference; removed date from MoJ reference and word 'New' Initial contact Removed date from HO reference. Under initial checks, 2nd bullet added 'in which case, immediate action should be taken'. Face to face meeting Deleted date from HO citation Full risk assessment Deleted 'Where the applicant is the potential victim' and 'within five working days.' Added 'This should be revisited...' sentence beneath. Referral to the local decision-making forum changed to multi-agency panel. Changed within first paragraph also. Changed five working days to 10. Concern Sentence added at bottom of section, starting 'If at any time...' No concern Sentence starting 'It is for the...' local decision-making forum swapped to multi-agency panel. HO citation - deleted date. Maintaining a record for the disclosure consideration HO - removed date; removed reference to annexes; removed 'local decision making forum from end of bullet.
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| Major investigation and public protection > Domestic abuse | Domestic abuse - Guidance overview | Deleted the second paragraph: The APP responds to a number of developments in the field of domestic abuse. , in particular a new Home Office definition of domestic violence and abuse. The definition recognises the significance of controlling or coercive behaviour in better understanding domestic abuse. During the development of this APP, His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) also released its findings from a major inspection of how all police forces in England and Wales handle allegations of domestic abuse.
And added content starting with the definition of domestic abuse, all the way down to the related resources links. |
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| Major investigation and public protection > Domestic abuse | Context and dynamics of domestic abuse | Domestic abuse definitions Deleted the cross-government definition and replaced with a statement about the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, including a link. Removed ‘but it not limited to’ prior to the bullets. Changed the bullets from psychological, physical, sexual, financial and emotional; to physical or sexual; violent or threatening; controlling or coercive; economic; psychological, emotional or other. Stated Female Genital Mutilation in full. Fixed the link to this APP. Added beneath ‘Detailed guidance relating specifically to forced marriage (FM) and honour based abuse (HBA) is set out in the APP on Forced marriage and honour based abuse.’ Included link. Next sentence ‘…to be linked…’ deleted ‘to one of the above’ and replaced with ‘to FGM, HBA and/or FM,’ The paragraph starting ‘Officers and staff…’ above the ‘For further information sentence’ – added ‘As with all reports to the police, officers...’ Home Office reference updated to DA Statutory guidance 2022. New section added titled Domestic Homicide Report. Three new paragraphs and a link to YouTube animation. Controlling or coercive behaviour Paragraph inserted second about unexpected death. Description of controlling or coercive behaviour The Home Office descriptions previously given have been deleted. A link to the Statutory Guidance has been inserted instead. Further explanation of controlling or coercive behaviour Under bullets, the paragraph starting ‘Further examples’ – links were replaced to more up to date content. The offence of controlling or coercive behaviour in an intimate or family relationship Paragraph added at the end, after numbered list. This signposts to Home Office and CPS sources and deletes the previous ‘See…’ information. Repeatedly or continuously The last sentence was added ‘It is not...’ Personally connected when the behaviour took place Added reference to the DA Act 2021 changing the bullets to reflect this definition. A sentence added beneath about the Act removing previous requirements for people to be living together. Also adding a reference and link to the Family Law Act. Deleted a sentence ‘The offence does not…’ as it is out of date and incorrect now. Amended wording of last paragraph to be clearer and give a signpost (and link) to Child abuse APP. What statistics tells us First bullet – added word ‘approximately’, changed the percentages to reflect a different ONS report (more recent), added the word ‘experienced’ for clarity and updated the link. Deleted the last three bullets. Paragraph starts ‘In all cases…’ – updated the link to CPS; deleted the text that starts ‘state that…’ and ends ‘or the complainant’ replacing it with a reference to DA Act s 3. Also replaced the CPS guidance and the link to a more recent, appropriate one for child suspects. Paragraph starts ‘With regards’ – added statement ‘in line with the Family Law Act 1996’ and added the last four bullets of relationship types. Added a signpost and link for s 63 of Family Law Act. Next para, ‘Officers and staff...’ – minor wording changes to the second sentence. Serial perpetrator Last sentence – link/signpost text changed. Collection of data DV disclosure scheme link corrected. Offences associated with domestic abuse Table. Possible offences, 2nd down – added text about strangulation and suffocation and reference/links to Serious Crime Act. Examples of behaviour, Forced sexual activity – added text about gang initiation (left side). Examples of behaviour, changed ‘Revenge Pornography’ to ‘Threats to send or sending intimate images or videos. Right side – added signpost and link to Sex Offences Act; updated CPS signpost and link; Added link/signpost to CoP 2024 Sharing photographs. Updated signpost from ‘Revenge P’ to ‘Threats to send…’ Why do victims continue abusive relationships? Deleted this section due to duplication. Added sub-heading Strategies to overcome barriers to reporting Added the paragraph underneath. Behavioural conditions that may affect a victim’s response to the police Deleted reference to Stockholm syndrome. Reasons why a victim may continue an abusive relationship Added a paragraph initially explaining this is common. |