THE BILL
Legislate to introduce a public misconduct register for police found guilty of misconduct or gross misconduct, including bullying and discrimination. We think this should be known as 'Isabelle’s Law' or to have come from 'Isabelle's Campaign.' We believe these changes could ensure that the public can request misconduct history of the officer/staff that's dealing with them, protect whistleblowers, and provide transparency for the public.
Previous Draft can be found here.
PDF version can be found here.
Isabelle’s Law 2025 (updated 18.11.25)
A Bill to establish a statutory right for members of the public to access information regarding misconduct records of police personnel; to require police forces to submit misconduct outcomes to an independent National Police Misconduct Body; to ensure transparency, fairness, integrity and accountability in misconduct processes; to protect the rights of serving personnel; to regulate publication of misconduct information; to provide safeguards for evidence, vulnerability designations and public communications; to restrict evidence loss; to ensure organisational learning; and for connected purposes.
Be it enacted by the King’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:—
1. Interpretation
In this Act,
“police personnel” means—
a. a police police personnel of any rank;
b. a member of police staff employed by a police force;
c. a Police Community Support Police personnel (PCSO).
References in this Act to “police personnel” shall be taken to include all categories in subsection (1).
2. Right to Information
About Misconduct
(1) Any person who is subject to the exercise of police powers, or who makes a report to the police, may
request disclosure of any substantiated misconduct or gross misconduct findings relating to the police
personnel concerned.
(2) Disclosure shall include—
a. the nature of the misconduct;
b. the date of the finding;
c. the outcome or sanction imposed.
3. Duty to Disclose
(1) A police force must provide the requested information within a reasonable timeframe.
(2) Failure to disclose, or wilful misrepresentation, shall constitute a disciplinary offence.
4. National Police
Misconduct Body (NPMB)
(1) There shall be established an independent body to be known as the National Police Misconduct Body.
(2) Every police force in England and Wales shall have a statutory duty to submit to the NPMB all
allegations which have triggered an active investigation into misconduct or gross misconduct,
including—
a. the individual’s name, role, rank or grade, and force;
b. the nature of the alleged misconduct;
c. the date and outcome of any finding;
d. any sanction imposed.
(3) The NPMB shall maintain a central register of all such submissions.
(4) The NPMB shall determine the form and manner in which information may be disclosed to members
of the public under section 2.
(5) The NPMB, IOPC, and every police force must annually publish a declaration of any partnerships,
secondments, shared HR arrangements, or resource dependencies between oversight bodies and forces.
PART 4A–4G: TRANSPARENCY, ACCURACY & PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS
4A. Transparency of Public Communications
(1) Where a police force proposes to publish a public statement relating to misconduct investigations or
outcomes, the statement shall—
a. be provided in draft to the individual concerned for comment; and
b. not be released until reasonable efforts have been made to agree fair and accurate wording.
(2) Where agreement cannot be reached within 7 days, the NPMB shall determine the final wording.
(3) Publishing misleading or incomplete information shall constitute a disciplinary offence.
(4) All public statements shall remain permanently available and must be updated with the final outcome.
4B. Accuracy and Continuity of Public Records
(1) Where a force has previously published that an police personnel is under investigation or charged, it
must publish—
a. the final outcome; and
b. a correction appended to all previous publications.
(2) Exonerating outcomes may not be removed, obscured, or unpublished.
(3) It shall be unlawful to delete favourable findings while leaving negative publications in place.
4C. Reporting of Deaths During Misconduct Processes
(1) The NPMB shall record and publish anonymised statistical data on deaths by suicide occurring—
a. during any live misconduct investigation; or
b. within six months of its conclusion.
(2) Publication shall be strictly factual and may not imply guilt, causation, or blame.
(3) Personal details may not be disclosed without explicit family consent.
4D. Acknowledgement of External Media Influence
(1) Where misconduct proceedings were initiated or informed in part by external media material, public
statements must include a neutral acknowledgement that such material was known at the time the matter was considered.
(2) Details of the media source or content need not be disclosed.
4E. Designation of Vulnerability in Misconduct Proceedings
(1) Any vulnerability designation applied to an police personnel must be recorded, explained in general
terms, and notified to the police personnel.
(2) Public statements must include a neutral acknowledgement that a vulnerability designation was
applied.
(3) A vulnerability designation may not be used—
a. to infer guilt;
b. to limit cross‑examination without NPMB approval;
c. to influence outcomes or public wording.
(4) The police personnel may challenge the designation before the NPMB.
4F. Publication of Organisational Learning
(1) Every concluded misconduct investigation, including findings of no case to answer, shall be
accompanied by a published organisational learning statement.
(2) Where no learning is identified, the force must publish a short rationale.
4G. Recording of PSD/DPS Meetings and Evidence Preservation
(1) Police personnels shall have the right to audio‑ or video‑record all meetings, interviews, and
communications with PSD/DPS.
(2) PSD/DPS must make full unedited recordings of all interviews and provide copies upon request.
(3) No recording may be withheld except for legally‑privileged third‑party information.
(4) Any loss, deletion or alteration of evidential material shall automatically trigger an independent
criminal investigation.
5. Reporting by Serving Personnel
(1) Police personnel may report suspected misconduct directly to the NPMB, anonymously or
confidentially.
(2) No person shall be subject to detriment or disciplinary action for making such a report.
(3) The NPMB may require full cooperation from police forces.
6. Scope of Records
Records to be submitted to the NPMB are—
a. all allegations which have triggered an active investigation into alleged misconduct or gross
misconduct;
b. disciplinary sanctions imposed;
c. findings of the IOPC.
Pending or unsubstantiated allegations shall not be recorded on the public-facing register, save in
anonymised or statistical form.
7. Right to Alternative Personnel
Where a person reasonably objects to being dealt with by police personnel on the basis of disclosed
misconduct history, the police force shall make reasonable efforts to allocate an alternative member of
personnel.
8. Resignation or Retirement During
Proceedings
(1) Nothing in this Act shall prevent any police personnel from resigning or retiring at any time.
(2) Misconduct investigations may continue after resignation as if the individual had remained in service.
(3) No force may pressure an individual to remain employed solely for the purpose of concluding
misconduct proceedings.
8A. Restriction from Policing Duties and Presumption Against Suspension
(1) Where police personnel are subject to investigation for misconduct or gross misconduct, the presumption shall be against suspension.
(2) A police force may restrict an individual from operational policing duties or public-facing roles without suspending them.
(3) Suspension may be imposed only where the force demonstrates, with written reasons, that—
a. the identified risk cannot reasonably be mitigated through restricted duties, redeployment, supervision, or management controls; and
b. continued presence in any internal role would present a material and specific risk.
(4) Written reasons under subsection (3) must be provided to the individual and submitted to the National Police Misconduct Body (NPMB) within 7 days.
9. Alternative Duties in Place of Suspension
(1) Where police personnel are restricted from policing duties or public-facing roles, the default position shall be continued employment in compulsory internal duties.
(2) Duties under subsection (1) must—
a. involve no exercise of police powers;
b. involve no contact with the public;
c. involve no operational decision-making;
d. be carried out within controlled premises; and
e. be necessary to the internal functioning of the organisation.
(3) Internal duties may include administrative, logistical, compliance, estates administration, training support, records management, or other non-operational functions.
(4) Such duties shall not be framed, described, or applied as a disciplinary measure or as implying wrongdoing.
(5) Refusal to undertake reasonable internal duties without good cause may be managed as a separate conduct matter unrelated to the underlying investigation.
9A. Time Limits on Suspension
(1) Any suspension on full pay shall be subject to a maximum initial period of 90 days.
(2) Suspension beyond 90 days may occur only where—
a. the investigation cannot reasonably be concluded within that period;
b. the delay is not attributable to the police force, PSD, DPS, IOPC, or NPMB; and
c. the NPMB grants written approval following an independent review.
(3) No suspension on full pay may exceed a total period of 12 months, save in exceptional circumstances authorised by the NPMB with published reasons.
(4) Where the maximum period is reached, the individual must—
a. be returned to restricted internal duties; or
b. have the investigation formally concluded.
9B. Consequences of Organisational Delay
(1) Where delay in an investigation is attributable in whole or in part to the police force or any oversight body, suspension shall not be extended.
(2) In such cases, responsibility for delay must be formally recorded and reported to the NPMB.
(3) The NPMB may impose regulatory, reporting, or financial consequences on the police force in respect of unreasonable delay.
(4) The NPMB shall publish annual data on—
a. the number of suspensions imposed;
b. the duration of each suspension;
c. the use of alternative internal duties; and
d. cases where delay was attributable to organisational failure.
9C. Pay and Allowances During Investigation
(1) Nothing in this Act permits the removal of base pay prior to a finding of misconduct or gross misconduct.
(2) During any period of suspension or restricted duties, police personnel shall not be eligible for—
a. overtime payments;
b. acting-up or temporary promotion pay;
c. discretionary bonuses or allowances.
10. Outcome of Investigation
(1) No police personnel shall be required, encouraged, or pressured to elect suspension without pay.
(2) Suspension without pay is permissible only—
a. following independent legal advice funded by the police force;
b. after written confirmation of understanding; and
c. with NPMB approval confirming the decision is free of coercion.
(3) An police personnel may revoke unpaid suspension at any time.
(4) Upon revocation the police personnel returns to full pay immediately.
(5) Where the police personnel is cleared, all forfeited pay shall be restored with interest.
10.(1) Outcome of Investigation
(A) Where an investigation concludes with no case to answer, or equivalent wording, the force must
publish the outcome with the same prominence and format as any earlier publication about the allegation.
(B) The publication must accompany or correct all earlier communications.
10.(2) Findings of Misconduct or Gross Misconduct
(2) Where misconduct or gross misconduct is substantiated, the individual shall receive the appropriate
sanction.
10.(3) Pension Forfeiture (Revised, Lawful Version)
(a) Pension rights may be forfeited, in whole or in part, where—
i. a finding of gross misconduct has been made following a concluded misconduct investigation; and
ii. the conduct involved serious abuse of position, corruption, dishonesty, violence, or conduct that would constitute a criminal offence or grave breach of public trust.
(b) No pension forfeiture shall occur unless—
i. the matter has been referred to an Independent Pension Forfeiture Panel;
ii. the Panel is satisfied that forfeiture is necessary and proportionate; and
iii. the individual has been afforded full opportunity to make representations.
(c) The Panel may order—
i. no forfeiture;
ii. partial forfeiture; or
iii. full forfeiture,
having regard to length of service, seriousness of conduct, financial impact, and public interest.
(d) A criminal conviction shall not be required for pension forfeiture under this section, but forfeiture may not be imposed solely on the basis of procedural or technical misconduct.
(e) Reasons for any forfeiture decision shall be recorded and published in anonymised form.
11. Effect of Attempted Resignation
12. Oversight and Enforcement
No provision of this Act shall render a resignation or retirement invalid.
(1) The NPMB shall oversee compliance with this Act.
(2) The NPMB may investigate failures to submit or disclose records, and may issue binding directions.
(3) No PSD, DPS, IOPC or NPMB investigator may investigate a current or former colleague from the
same force, unit, or building.
13. Extent, Commencement and Short Title
(1) This Act extends to England and Wales.
(2) This Act comes into force on such day as the Secretary of State may by regulations appoint.
(3) This Act may be cited as Isabelle’s Law or Isabelle's Campaign.