The Minister of State, (Home Department (Mr. John Denham)In May, my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary commissioned a fundamental review of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) and the accompanying Codes of Practice to be conducted jointly by the Home Office and the Cabinet Office.
The review focused on the basic requirements of PACE and the Codes that underlie police procedures with particular emphasis on, but not limited to, those aspects that govern detention and the custody process. In particular, the review team was asked to consider whether the Act and the Codes were still the best way of ensuring that the powers of the police are properly exercised and the rights of suspects are adequately protected.
9WSThe review team has now reported and I have today placed a copy of their report in the Library. The main conclusion of the review is that the basic PACE approach is sound and still strikes broadly the right balance between the powers of the police and the rights and freedoms of the public. In particular, the review found that the general view of PACE is positive, especially in terms of the way it is viewed as having standardised and professionalised police work. The police have a clear framework within which to operate, whilst the provisions of the Act protect the individual.
However, the review also found that there are aspects of PACE that require updating to reflect changes in society over the years since the legislation was brought into force. Taken together, the review has proposed a challenging programme of change to amend the PACE legislation and the Codes of Practice which the Government has accepted and will take forward as part of its ongoing police reform agenda. This is a vital opportunity to improve the way the police operate and taken together with the measures we have already introduced in the Police Reform Act 2002, will bring about a real difference to the everyday lives of police officers on the front line and consequently to the delivery of services.