| College of Policing Limited | |
| Predecessor: | National Policing Improvement Agency |
| Formation: | December 2012 |
| Type: | Arms length body owned by the Home Office |
| Headquarters: | Ryton-on-Dunsmore, Warwickshire, England |
| Region Served: | England and Wales |
| Leader Title: | Chief Executive Officer |
| Leader Name: | Chief Constable Sir Andy Marsh |
The College of Policing is a professional body for the police in England and Wales. It was established in 2012 to take over a number of training and development roles that were the responsibility of the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA).[1] The National Police Library was also transferred from the NPIA at that time. The college is an arm's length body of the Home Office.[2] The college is based in Ryton-on-Dunsmore, Warwickshire.
The creation of a new policing professional body was announced by the Home Secretary in December 2011. Representatives from the Police Federation, the Superintendents' Association, ACPO and UNISON worked with the Home Office to create the college, ensuring that it represents the police service's desires and aspirations.As soon as Parliamentary time allows, the College of Policing will be established as a statutory body, independent of government. While the necessary legislation is prepared, the college has been established as a company limited by guarantee.[3]
The college officially launched in December 2012,[4] with former chief constable of Hampshire, Alex Marshall as chief executive officer and Deputy Chief Constable of Avon and Somerset Police Rob Beckley as chief operating officer. Beckley moved from Avon and Somerset to the Metropolitan Police and Home Office in 2016, whilst Marshall retired from policing in September 2017.[5] In 2018, Marshall was replaced by Mike Cunningham, former chief constable of Staffordshire Police and a HM Inspector of Constabulary.[6] In 2021, Cunningham was replaced by Andy Marsh, the former chief constable of Hampshire and Avon and Somerset.[7]
The college produces guidance for officers known as Authorised Professional Practice (APP). This covers topics such as firearms, stop and search, covert policing and investigations.[8]
APP is subject to continual review and update. In the first quarter of 2022, for example, there were 46 updates made to 20 individual APP categories.[9]
In 2014, the college advised police forces to record all 'non-crime hate incidents' - incidents that are perceived to be motivated by hostility but are not criminal offences.[10]
In December 2021, the Court of Appeal ruled that this guidance was unlawful and constituted a "chilling effect ... on the legitimate exercise of freedom of expression".[11] As a result, the guidance now states that freedom of speech should be prioritised where possible and that non-crime hate incidents should not be recorded where they are "trivial, irrational or malicious, or where there is no basis to conclude that an incident was motivated by hostility."[12]
The College of Policing has announced that from 2020, all new police officers in England and Wales will have to be educated to degree level.[13] This policy will be administered through the Policing Education Qualifications Framework (PEQF),[14] which creates three entry routes into the police:
The National Police Library is operated at the college to support everyone working in UK policing; providing access to digital and print resources. It holds publications such as the Police Review magazine and Police Gazette. The latter has supported operational policing and its archives have enabled investigators to understand policing in the recent past; providing evidence for public inquiries such as the Hillsborough disaster.