College of Policing • NDM

CIAPOAR police meaning

National Decision Model (NDM) — six key elements. A quick, source-backed reference for the UK policing mnemonic CIAPOAR.

Short answer

The NDM is the single decision-making model for everyone in policing, for spontaneous incidents and planned operations. CIAPOAR is the College's aide-memoire for the six elements and for recording decision rationale (e.g. brief PNB notes against each letter).

Legal anchor: College of Policing APP: National Decision Model

CIAPOAR
College of Policing APP: National Decision Model
CCode of Ethics — principles and standards of professional behaviour (the centre of the model, binding all stages)
IInformation — gather information and intelligence
AAssessment — assess threat and risk and develop a working strategy
PPowers and policy — consider powers and policy
OOptions — identify options and contingencies
AAction — take action (the decision made or action taken)
RReview — review what happened (the resulting outcome)

When officers use it

The NDM is the single decision-making model for everyone in policing, for spontaneous incidents and planned operations. CIAPOAR is the College's aide-memoire for the six elements and for recording decision rationale (e.g. brief PNB notes against each letter).

Practical point: the mnemonic is a memory aid, not the test. Decisions still turn on the live facts and the underlying law (College of Policing APP: National Decision Model) — record your rationale, not just the letters.

Variants and spellings

Current College APP wording for C is 'Ethical policing principles' following the 2024 Code of Ethics refresh; elements identical.

Why Section includes this

Section is a fast UK police reference app for officers and student officers: offences, points to prove, PACE powers and the standard mnemonics in one offline place. Every entry in the app — including this one — was verified against the sources listed below.

What does CIAPOAR stand for?

C = Code of Ethics, I = Information, A = Assessment, P = Powers and policy, O = Options, A = Action, R = Review.

Is CIAPOAR a law?

No — it is a memory aid used in UK police training. The underlying framework is College of Policing APP: National Decision Model.

Are there variants of CIAPOAR?

Current College APP wording for C is 'Ethical policing principles' following the 2024 Code of Ethics refresh; elements identical.

Sources

CLADD — Seizing and retaining property — PACE s19 WIFE — Aggravated burglary articles — Theft Act 1968 s10 SARA / OSARA — SARA (and OSARA) — problem-solving policing model

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