Emergency response guidance overhauled after lessons from major disasters

The College of Policing has published new Authorised Professional Practice (APP) covering how forces should respond to emergencies and major incidents across England and Wales.

The guidance replaces the previous Operations APP, which was first published in 2013 and last updated in 2021.

The College said major incidents and the public inquiries that followed had identified areas where police guidance needed strengthening.

The new guidance sets out a structured approach covering everything from planning and preparedness to the initial police response, command arrangements and lessons learned after an incident. It also brings material previously contained in the Civil Contingencies APP into the new guidance.

The APP is designed for everyone involved in responding to major incidents, from frontline officers and control room staff to force incident managers and senior commanders.

It sets out the responsibilities of the first officer at a scene, including assessing the scale of an incident, requesting additional resources, establishing rendezvous points and cordons, protecting evidence and ensuring casualties receive medical attention. It also reinforces the need for police to work closely with other emergency services, using established interoperability principles.

The College said communications had been made a core theme of the guidance, including multi-agency coordination, warning and informing the public and strategic communications during major incidents.

The new guidance also includes provisions for supporting the wellbeing of officers and staff involved in major incidents, including access to trauma support.

The College has also introduced online emergency procedures training for officers and staff. The new guidance is available to policing across England and Wales.