Policy P32 - Search | South Yorkshire Police

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The Authorised Professional Practice (APP) has been approved by the College of Policing as the official and most up-to-date source of professional practice on policing. South Yorkshire Police have adopted APP as their Statement of Agreed Policy. This is the agreed policy on Search and you may wish to refer to the APP section now.

Exceptions

South Yorkshire Police do not deviate from APP in this subject.

Additions

In addition to APP, South Yorkshire Police’s statement of agreed policy on Search includes;

Search

This APP guidance sets out the training requirements and the operational management of a police searcher.

Certain Operational Support Unit, OSU, Officers are trained in specialist search capabilities. This is different and separate to general search, which every Officer is trained to carry out and is the subject of a separate unrelated policy, P19 – Stop and Search

All searchers are trained to National standards to carry out search appropriately and effectively.

Specialist Search covers the following areas:

Standard Search Techniques
Counter Terrorist Search
Missing Person Search
Specialist Search Support

Where appropriate, South Yorkshire Police will collaborate with external organisations when carrying out a search.These organisations will either have crown accreditation e.g. The Fire service. Or alternatively for volunteer organisations for example, Mountain rescue or Lowland rescue they must have accreditation from their governing bodies. i.e. MREW or ALSAR.

It will only be in exceptional circumstances when non accredited organisations will be utilised, and this must have prior agreement from Gold Command.

All search operatives affiliated to an external organisation must have up to date and relevant DBS checks.

Associated Procedural Instructions

This policy is supported by the subsequent procedural instructions

Pi10.19 – Management, Recording and Investigation of Missing Persons

Other relevant SYP policy documents you may wish to consider are:

P7 - Information Management and Compliance

Equality Act 2010

The Act creates a statutory requirement for all Functions and Policies (Including Procedural Instructions) to be analysed for their effect on equality, diversity and human rights, with due regard to the General Equality Duty.

In principle, this document has been assessed for discrimination, which cannot be justified, among other diverse groups.

The Code of Ethics published in 2014 and revised in 2024 by the College of Policing requires us all to do the right thing in the right way.

The 2024 Code of Ethics is not a statutory Code of Practice, it has the same status as other guidance produced by the College. The Code of Ethics is supported by the Code of Practice for Ethical Policing. This is a statutory Code of Practice which provides chief officers with direction on promoting and supporting ethical and professional behaviour within their forces.

Human Rights/Discretion

The purpose of providing policy is to give an indication to staff of the expected course of action. However it is not possible to cater for every possible combination of factors that would justify a departure from stated policy. The Human Rights Act 1998 requires the proper use of discretion at all times and nothing within this policy and associated procedural instructions prohibits the proper use of discretion in appropriate circumstances.

Where action is taken that has the potential to interfere with an individual's Human Rights, the reasons behind the making of the decision to act in that way should be recorded on the appropriate forms, or where this is not practicable, in pocket books or policy logs.

Rights of redress for members of the public:

Anyone who feels that a member of staff has behaved incorrectly or unfairly, or who is dissatisfied with organisational matters, service delivery or other operational policing issues, has the right to make a complaint.

Initial action should be taken in one of the following ways:

Complain in writing or in person to the Senior Officer at the appropriate police station or to the Chief Constable of the force concerned.
Visit a local Citizens' Advice Bureau
Contact a Solicitor

Rights of redress for South Yorkshire Police personnel:

South Yorkshire Police personnel who feel they have grounds for concern in relation to the implementation of policies may, as appropriate:

Pursue concerns through their line manager.
Contact a First Contact Advisor.
Pursue a grievance formally through the South Yorkshire Police Grievance Resolution Procedure.
Seek advice from their staff association or trades union.

Use procedural instruction Pi23.11 - Management of Complaints, in the section entitled Handling Complaints relating to Direction and Control.

Start Date: 24/12/2018

This statement of agreed policy is new.

Review:

This statement of agreed policy is managed by Superintendent, Operational Support Unit.

This policy and its Equality Analysis were last reviewed on: 30/04/2025

The date for the next review of this policy and Equality Analysis is: 30/04/2027

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Policy P32 - Search