The act enacts various changes to existing rules involving
PCCs, complaints through the
IPCC, amendments to
PACE 1984 etc.
PCSOs One notable change involves the expansion of powers to police staff and introduces voluntary
police community support officers (PCSOs). It is also expands the powers of a PCSO to "any power or duty of a constable, other than a power or duty specified in Part 1 of Schedule 3B (excluded powers and duties)". Part 6 of the act brings clarity to the classifying guns under the
Firearms Act 1968, based on recommendations from the
Law Commission.
Police bail procedure Another change relates to
police bail, which can now only be authorised by an officer of inspector rank or higher (so normally a suspect will now be released without bail if not charged), and extending this period is now only possible once by authorisation of a superintendent officer, or again by a magistrates' court; previously it was possible for police to effectively restrain a person indefinitely by extending the bail period every 28 days. Controversially this has led police forces to adopt an alternative method of '
release under investigation' (RUI) with no time limits or conditions, requiring a suspect to respond by post. In December 2020,
Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services released a report on RUI. In November 2017,
Hertfordshire Constabulary released under the
Freedom of Information Act 2000 a copy of the template RUI form used by them.
Alan Turing law The Act also offers a pardon to men convicted for homosexual acts that are no longer considered criminal offences. This is sometimes informally referred to as the
Alan Turing law, named for
Alan Turing, the mathematician and
World War II codebreaker, who was convicted of
gross indecency in 1952. ==See also==