Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments 3
Circular 009/2022: Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022
This circular sets out the pre-charge bail provisions in England and Wales, and police driver standards in England, Wales and Scotland.
Applies to England and Wales
Documents
Details
In May 2018, the Home Office conducted a public consultation to review the law, guidance, procedures and processes surrounding police pursuits. The government announced a new test to assess the driving standards of police officers as a response to the consultation.
In November 2019, the government also announced a review of pre-charge bail legislation before conducting a public consultation in 2020. The purpose of this was to make sure the pre-charge bail process is efficient, victim focused and used in all cases where necessary.
This circular informs the police and other relevant public authorities about reforms within the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 and the commencement of the pre-charge bail and police driver standards measure.
The pre-charge bail provisions commenced on 26 and 28 October 2022. The Road Traffic Act 1988 (Police Driving: Prescribed Training) Regulations 2022 commenced on 30 November 2022.
The text was further amended in July 2025 to reflect a new statutory instrument, the Road Traffic Act 1988 (Police Driving: Prescribed Training) (Amendment) Regulations 2025, which amends the standards for police driver training in the 2023 Regulations. The statutory instrument was laid on 3 July 2025 and commences on 24 July 2025.