Skip to content

Acid and corrosive substances

Investigation — Authorised Professional Practice

All topics

Summary

This section provides guidance for police officers on handling incidents involving acid and corrosive substances. It outlines essential resources to assist in responding to and investigating offences where these hazardous materials are involved. The content includes general advice for investigators and crime scene investigators (CSIs), packaging guidelines, victim care advice, and references to important statutory guidance, particularly in relation to the Offensive Weapons Act 2019. Officers are encouraged to familiarize themselves with these resources to ensure effective and safe management of such incidents.

Key principles

  • 1Utilize general advice for responding to corrosive substance attacks.
  • 2Follow proper packaging guidelines for corrosive substances.
  • 3Ensure victim care is prioritized during investigations.

Defined terms

Offensive Weapons Act 2019
Legislation related to the regulation of certain weapons and substances deemed offensive.

Full guidance

This page is from APP, the official source of professional practice for policing.

The following resources provide advice and guidance when responding to or investigating offences involving corrosive substances.

(PDF, 66KB) (PDF, 338KB) (PDF, 132KB)

Do not provide personal information such as your name or email address in the feedback form. Read our privacy policy for more information on how we use this data

What is the reason for your answer?

Reproduced from the College of Policing Authorised Professional Practice under the Open Government Licence v3.0, as captured on 2026-06-27. APP is amended over time — check the source link below for the current version. This is a reference, not operational authorisation.

APP is the authoritative source for UK policing practice and is updated over time. For the current, official version — including any operational detail not reproduced here — go direct.

Read the full APP guidance

Source: College of Policing — Authorised Professional Practice · Crown copyright, licensed under Open Government Licence v3.0. Summary fetched 2026-06-27.