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Using APP and guidelines

Authorised Professional Practice — Authorised Professional Practice

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Summary

This page provides an overview of Authorised Professional Practice (APP) and guidelines developed by the College of Policing. APP offers comprehensive guidance to policing professionals, outlining necessary actions for maintaining service consistency across policing activities, specifically in areas like mental health and civil emergencies. It is continuously updated to reflect current legislation and best practices. Guidelines supplement APP by focusing on enhancing police capabilities, informed by research evidence and expert opinions. While APP and guidelines are strong recommendations and utilized in inspections and judicial processes, adherence is not mandatory; officers are encouraged to apply professional discretion. Regularly checking the APP is advised as updates are made continuously, and previous versions can be accessed upon request.

Key principles

  • 1APP provides consistent guidance across policing.
  • 2Guidelines enhance police skills and capabilities.
  • 3Officers should apply professional discretion in adherence to APP.
  • 4APP and guidelines are informed by research and expert consultation.
  • 5Continuous updates ensure relevance and effectiveness.

Defined terms

Authorised Professional Practice (APP)
Guidance developed and owned by the College of Policing.
Guidelines
Actions required to improve police capabilities and skills.

Full guidance

Information about APP, where it applies and the legal status.

APP outlines the actions everyone in policing need to take to ensure a consistent level of service is provided to the public. APP is usually focused on providing guidance on a specific crime type or police business area, for example mental health, roads policing or civil emergencies.

APP is developed by a working group of College staff and subject matter experts from policing. APP allows policing professionals to:

instantly access authorised guidance * easily link from one area of APP to another * quickly obtain the required information * be confident their approach is consistent within and across forces

In APP we use wording to reflect the strength of the guidance given, using:

‘must’ where there is relevant legislation * ‘should’ if we have strong research evidence and/or experts agree that a particular approach is most effective

APP is developed and released continuously. It is reviewed and updated to reflect current legislation, recommended practice and changes within policing.

Guidelines focus on the actions required to improve police capabilities and skills, for example responding to risk, problem-oriented policing and effective supervision.

Our guidelines are based on a review of the research evidence about what works which is supplemented by insights from policing.

Guidelines are developed by college staff working with a committee. The committee is made up of subject matter experts from policing, academia and partner organisations. This committee reviews the evidence and helps to develop this into practical guidelines for policing.

Do police have to follow APP and guidelines?

APP and guidelines are created with and for policing and are the strongest guidance that the College issues. They are often used by official inspection and complaint organisations, public inquiries and in judicial proceedings as a basis for their reviews.

We expect everyone in policing to take into account the relevant guidance when carrying out their duties. APP and guidelines are, however, not mandated and officers and staff should use professional discretion when applying them. There could be valid operational, ethical or situational reasons for doing something differently. It is this clear rationale that is required to justify not complying with standards. A force or individual would bear the liability for the risk and consequences of that decision.

You can browse our full list of APP and guidelines online.

APP can be updated at any time, so checking regularly is recommended. We record all changes to APP in our change log .

If you would like to request a copy of decommissioned APP or guidelines that are no longer available online, please email the What Works Standards team atwhatworksstandards@college.police.uk . Any queries you have related to APP or guidelines, can be sent to this email.

Have your say

If you would like to receive updates on APP and guidelines or help to shape new guidance, email the What Works Standards team to join our stakeholder contact list at whatworksstandards@college.police.uk

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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.