Law

Police and Magistrates’ Courts Act 1994

United Kingdom · statute

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In force since 1994-07-21, as the publisher states.

Copy read on 2026-11-08. The page it was read from

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.

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Contents: 107 provisions
  1. Title and introductory text
  2. 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  3. 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  4. 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  5. 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  6. 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  7. 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  8. 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  9. 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  10. 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  11. 10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  12. 11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  13. 12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  14. 13 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  15. 14 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  16. 15 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  17. 16 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  18. 17 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  19. 18 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  20. 19 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  21. 20 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  22. 21 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  23. 22 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  24. 23 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  25. 24 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  26. 25 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  27. 26 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  28. 27 Precepts.
  29. 28 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  30. 29 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  31. 30 Revenue accounts and capital finance.
  32. 31 Financial administration.
  33. 32 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  34. 33 Validation of past grants.
  35. 34 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  36. 35 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  37. 36 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  38. 37 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  39. 38 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  40. 39 Police areas in England: alterations under Local Government Act 1992.
  41. 40 Police areas in Wales: alterations under Local Government Act 1972.
  42. 41 Metropolitan police: assistant commissioners.
  43. 42 Application of Firearms Act 1968 to civilian staff.
  44. 43 Application to police authorities of enactments relating to local authorities etc.
  45. 44 Minor and consequential amendments.
  46. 45 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  47. 46 Interpretation of Part I.
  48. 47 Constitution of police force.
  49. 48 Deputy and assistant chief constables.
  50. 49 Civilian employees.
  51. 50 Provision of advice and assistance to international organisations etc.
  52. 51 Chief constables’ annual reports.
  53. 52 Regulations for police forces.
  54. 53 Fixed term appointments etc.
  55. 54 Power of Secretary of State to give directions to police authorities.
  56. 55 Appeals against dismissal etc.
  57. 56 Expenditure in safeguarding national security.
  58. 57 Duty of inspectors of constabulary.
  59. 58 Assistant inspectors of constabulary and staff officers to inspectors of constabulary.
  60. 59 Common services.
  61. 60 Constables engaged on service outside their force.
  62. 61 Examination of handling of complaints against constables.
  63. 62 Transmission of criminal statistics.
  64. 63 Other amendments of 1967 Act.
  65. 64 Delegation of functions of Scottish police authority.
  66. 65 Interpretation of Part II.
  67. 66 Regulations for administration, etc. of Royal Ulster Constabulary.
  68. 67 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  69. 68 Minor and consequential amendments.
  70. 69 Alteration of magistrates’ courts committee areas.
  71. 70 Constitution of magistrates’ courts committees.
  72. 71 Regulations as to constitution etc. of magistrates’ courts committees.
  73. 72 Supplementary provisions as to magistrates’ courts committees.
  74. 73 General powers and duties of magistrates’ courts committees.
  75. 74 Reports and plans.
  76. 75 Appointment and functions of justices’ chief executive.
  77. 76 Appointment and removal of justices’ clerks.
  78. 77 Justices’ chief executives and justices’ clerks to be employed under contracts of service.
  79. 78 Independence of justices’ clerk and staff in relation to legal functions.
  80. 79 Magistrates’ courts committee for inner London area.
  81. 80 Organisation of justices’ clerks in inner London area.
  82. 81 Division of work in inner London area.
  83. 82 Pensions etc. of justices’ chief executive, justices’ clerks and staff in inner London area.
  84. 83 Administrative and financial arrangements for magistrates’ courts.
  85. 84 Local authority land appropriated to magistrates’ courts purposes.
  86. 85 Regulations as to accounts and audit.
  87. 86 Inspectors of the magistrates’ courts service.
  88. 87 Powers of inspectors.
  89. 88 Default powers.
  90. 89 Studies by Audit Commission.
  91. 90 Regulations under Justices of the Peace Act 1979.
  92. 91 Minor and consequential amendments.
  93. 92 Interpretation of Part IV.
  94. 93 Repeals.
  95. 94 Commencement and transitional provisions.
  96. 95 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  97. 96 Extent.
  98. 97 Short title.
  99. SCHEDULE 1
  100. SCHEDULE 2
  101. SCHEDULE 3
  102. SCHEDULE 4 APPLICATION TO POLICE AUTHORITIES OF ENACTMENTS RELATING TO LOCAL AUTHORITIES
  103. SCHEDULE 5 POLICE: MINOR AND CONSEQUENTIAL AMENDMENTS
  104. SCHEDULE 6 SCHEDULE TO BE INSERTED IN POLICE (SCOTLAND) ACT 1967 : APPEALS TRIBUNALS
  105. SCHEDULE 7
  106. SCHEDULE 8 MAGISTRATES’ COURTS: MINOR AND CONSEQUENTIAL AMENDMENTS
  107. SCHEDULE 9 REPEALS

Proposed changes to this act

No one has proposed a change to this act yet.

107 provisions

Title and introductory text

Police and Magistrates’ Courts Act 1994 1994 c. 29 An Act to make provision about police areas, police forces and police authorities; to make provision for England and Wales about magistrates’ courts committees, justices’ clerks and administrative and financial arrangements for magistrates’ courts; and for connected purposes. [21st July 1994] Be it enacted by the Queen’s most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—

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27 Precepts.

(1) In section 39 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, in subsection (1) (list of major precepting authorities) for paragraphs (b) and (c) there shall be substituted— (b) a police authority established under section 3 of the Police Act 1964; . (2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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30 Revenue accounts and capital finance.

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31 Financial administration.

In section 111 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988, in subsection (2) (definition of “relevant authority” for the purposes of provisions regulating financial administration) for paragraph (e) there shall be substituted— (e) a police authority established under section 3 of the Police Act 1964, .

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39 Police areas in England: alterations under Local Government Act 1992.

(1) The Local Government Act 1992 shall be amended as follows. (2) In section 14(5) (matters on which Local Government Commission to make recommendations) after paragraph (d) there shall be added— “ (e) whether, in connection with any recommended structural or boundary change, there should be any change in police areas (including any change resulting in a reduction or increase in the number of police areas) ”. (3) In section 15 (procedure on a review) in subsections (3)(c) and (4)(c) (duty to deposit draft and final recommendations with affected councils) after the word “council" there shall be inserted the words “ or police authority ”. (4) In section 17 (implementation of recommendations), in subsection (3)(g) for the words “and election" there shall be substituted the words “ , election and membership ”. (5) After subsection (5) of section 17 there shall be added— (6) The Secretary of State shall exercise his power to make orders under this section in relation to police areas in such a way as to ensure that none of the following areas— (a) a county in which there are no district councils, (b) a district in any other county, and (c) a London borough, is divided between two or more police areas; but this subsection shall not have effect so as to prevent the maintenance of any part of the boundary of the metropolitan police district as it exists at the commencement of section 1 of the Police and Magistrates’ Courts Act 1994. (6) In section 18, subsection (2) and paragraph (a) of subsection (4) shall cease to have effect. (7) In section 19(2) (provision that may be made by regulations), in paragraph (a) after the words “local authority" in each place where they occur there shall be inserted the words “ or police authority ”.

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