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Policing elections reference material

Policing elections — Authorised Professional Practice

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Summary

This page from the College of Policing details essential practices and legislation surrounding the policing of elections in the UK. It covers core principles, key roles, and planning necessary to prevent and investigate electoral malpractice. Importantly, it provides resources for police officers regarding important legislation and guidelines, highlighting the need to maintain order and integrity during elections. This includes direction on handling evidence, understanding relevant laws, and addressing potentially criminal behaviors associated with electoral processes. Officers are guided to familiarize themselves with the various acts and regulations that govern election conduct to ensure effective policing during election periods.

Key principles

  • 1Preventing electoral malpractice through effective planning.
  • 2Understanding and applying relevant legislation.
  • 3Maintaining order at polling stations.
  • 4Investigating and responding to electoral offenses.

Defined terms

RPA
Representation of the People Act
CPS
Crown Prosecution Service
SPOC
Single Point of Contact

Full guidance

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

European Parliamentary Elections Regulations 2004 (EPE Regulations 2004) (not hyperlinked)

R (on the application of Woolas) v Parliamentary Election Court (2010) EWHC 3169 (Admin) (not hyperlinked)

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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.