The Police and Criminal Evidence (Northern Ireland) Order 1989 (Codes of Practice) Order 2026

Explanatory note

Reproduced verbatim from the instrument as published on legislation.gov.uk (Crown Copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0). The note is prepared by the responsible government department and is not part of the instrument itself.

This Order appoints 1 st July 2026 as the date on which revised codes of practice under Articles 60, 60A and 65 of the Police and Criminal Evidence (Northern Ireland) Order 1989 will come into operation. The revised codes will supersede the corresponding existing codes of practice.

The Order also brings into operation a new code of practice, Code I, which relates to the detention, treatment and questioning by police officers of persons in police detention under section 27 of, and Schedule 6 to, the National Security Act 2023.

The codes of practice are:

the exercise by police officers of statutory powers of stop and search (Code A);

searches of premises by police officers and the seizure of property found by police officers on persons or premises (Code B);

the detention, treatment and questioning of persons by police officers (Code C);

the identification of persons by police officers (Code D);

the audio recording of interviews with suspects at police stations (Code E);

the visual recording with sound of interviews with suspects at police stations (Code F);

the statutory power of arrest by police officers (Code G);

the detention, treatment and questioning by police officers of persons in police detention under Section 41 of, and Schedule 8 to the Terrorism Act 2000, and the detention and treatment by police officers of persons in police detention under Section 43B of, and Schedule 8 to the Terrorism Act 2000 (Code H); and

the detention, treatment and questioning by police officers of persons in police detention under section 27 of, and Schedule 6 to, the National Security Act 2023 (Code I).

The revised codes of practice will be available on the Department of Justice website.