Post-incident procedures following death or serious injury
Investigation — Authorised Professional Practice
Summary
This APP includes guidance on post-incident procedures, management, welfare and legal issues related to incidents of death or serious injury following police contact. It outlines the provision of accounts by officers and staff in a broadly chronological manner and specifies responsibilities for key roles. The guidance also sets out strategies for organisational learning and debriefing. The content is relevant to all investigations, whether conducted by the force’s professional standards department (PSD) or by the relevant independent investigative authority (IIA).
Key principles
- 1Provision of accounts by officers and staff in chronological order
- 2Responsibilities for key roles in investigations
- 3Approaches to organisational learning
- 4Debriefing procedures
- 5Welfare considerations following incidents
Defined terms
- APP
- Authorised Professional Practice
- PSD
- Professional Standards Department
- IIA
- Independent Investigative Authority
Full guidance
Guidance on investigation and welfare procedures for death or serious injury following police contact
This page is from APP, the official source of professional practice for policing.
This APP includes guidance on post-incident procedures, management, welfare and legal issues. The guidance outlines provision of accounts by officers and staff in a broadly chronological manner, provides responsibilities for key roles and sets out approaches to organisational learning and debriefing. The information provided is relevant to any investigation, whether carried out by the force’s professional standards department (PSD) or by the relevant independent investigative authority (IIA).
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Read the full APP guidanceSource: College of Policing — Authorised Professional Practice · Crown copyright, licensed under Open Government Licence v3.0. Summary fetched 2026-06-27.