Police Reform Act 2002

Liability for unlawful acts of constables etc.

102Liability for wrongful acts of constables etc.

(1)Each of the enactments specified in subsection (2) shall be amended as follows—

(a)for the words “torts committed by”, in each place where they occur, there shall be substituted “any unlawful conduct of”; and

(b)for “in respect of any such tort” there shall be substituted “, in the case of a tort,”.

(2)The enactments are—

(a)section 88(1) of the 1996 Act (liability of chief officers);

(b)section 97(9) of that Act (liability of the Secretary of State);

(c)section 42(1) of the 1997 Act (liability of the Director General of NCIS);

(d)section 86(1) of that Act (liability of the Director General of the National Crime Squad);

(e)section 27(8) of the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 1998 (c. 32) (liability of the Secretary of State);

(f)section 29(1) of that Act (liability of the chief constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland);

(g)paragraph 7(3) of Schedule 3 to that Act (liability of the Police Ombudsman); and

(h)paragraph 14(1) of Schedule 3 to the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 (c. 16) (liability of the Central Police Training and Development Authority).

(3)In paragraph 7(1) of Schedule 8 to the 1997 Act (liability of Police Information Technology Organisation)—

(a)for “a tort committed by” there shall be substituted “any unlawful conduct of”;

(b)for “torts committed by” there shall be substituted “any unlawful conduct of”; and

(c)for “in respect of any such tort” there shall be substituted “, in the case of a tort,”.

(4)In each of the enactments specified in subsection (5), for “a tort committed by” there shall be substituted “any unlawful conduct of”.

(5)The enactments are—

(a)section 88(4)(a) of the 1996 Act (payments in respect of tort proceedings against constables and special constables);

(b)section 42(4)(a) of the 1997 Act (payments in respect of tort proceedings against members of, and constables serving with, NCIS);

(c)section 86(4)(a) of that Act (payments in respect of tort proceedings against members of, and constables serving with, the National Crime Squad);

(d)section 29(3)(a) of the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 1998 (payments in respect of tort proceedings against police officers in Northern Ireland); and

(e)paragraph 7(4)(a) of Schedule 3 to that Act (payment in respect of tort proceedings against police officers serving with, or assisting, the Police Ombudsman).

(6)In section 42(6) of the 1997 Act (application to Scotland), paragraph (a) shall be omitted.

(7)In section 39 (1) of the Police (Scotland) Act 1967 (c. 77) (liability for wrongful acts of constables)—

(a)for “in reparation in respect of any wrongful act or omission” there shall be substituted “for any unlawful conduct”; and

(b)for “in respect of a wrongful act or omission” there shall be substituted “for any unlawful conduct”.

(8)In section 39(4) of that Act, for “wrongful act or omission” there shall be substituted “unlawful conduct”.