SectionPACE Codes of Practice
The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) sets out the main police powers in England and Wales: stop and search, entry and search of premises, seizure, arrest and detention. The PACE Codes of Practice, issued under the Act, say how those powers must be used. A breach of a Code can affect whether evidence is admitted at court, so officers need the right Code quickly. This page is a short guide; the Section app carries the Codes themselves, offline.
The eight Codes, A to H
| Code A | Stop and search, and recording stops. See GOWISELY and SHACKS. |
|---|---|
| Code B | Searching premises and seizing property. |
| Code C | Detention, treatment and questioning of people in police custody (other than terrorism suspects). |
| Code D | Identification of suspects, including video identification, fingerprints and samples. See ADVOKATE. |
| Code E | Audio recording of interviews with suspects. See PEACE. |
| Code F | Visual recording, with sound, of interviews with suspects. |
| Code G | The statutory power of arrest under section 24. See IDCOPPLAN. |
| Code H | Detention, treatment and questioning of people arrested under section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000. |
The PACE powers officers use most
| s 1 | Stop and search a person or vehicle for stolen or prohibited articles, on reasonable grounds. Code A applies. |
|---|---|
| s 2 | What the officer must tell the person before searching: GOWISELY. |
| s 17 | Entry without a warrant, for example to arrest, to recapture, or to save life or prevent serious damage: WASPS. |
| s 18 | Entry and search, after arrest for an indictable offence, of premises occupied or controlled by the arrested person. |
| s 19 | General power to seize evidence and property found lawfully on premises: CLADD. |
| s 24 | Arrest without a warrant, only where it is necessary: IDCOPPLAN. |
| s 32 | Search of a person on arrest, and of premises where they were arrested: DIE. |
| s 117 | Use of reasonable force when exercising a PACE power. See PLANL. |
Always check the current version. The Home Office publishes the Codes on GOV.UK, and the Act is on legislation.gov.uk.
PACE in the Section app
Section is a free iPhone police app for England and Wales. Alongside PACE it carries 1,200+ offences with points to prove and CJS offence codes, and police mnemonics. It works offline and needs no account. Student officers can start with Section for student officers. To see how Section compares with other police apps, read UK police reference apps compared.
Common questions
What are the PACE Codes of Practice?
They are the Codes issued under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 that govern how police in England and Wales use powers such as stop and search, entry and search, arrest, detention, interviews and identification. There are eight: Codes A to H.
Which PACE Code covers stop and search?
Code A covers stop and search, including the information an officer must give (often remembered as GOWISELY) and what counts as reasonable grounds for suspicion.
Which PACE Code covers arrest?
Code G covers the statutory power of arrest under section 24 of PACE, including the necessity criteria often remembered as IDCOPPLAN.
What is section 32 of PACE?
Section 32 lets a constable search a person after arrest for anything they might use to harm themselves or others, anything they might use to escape, and evidence of an offence. For an indictable offence it also allows entry and search of premises where the person was at or immediately before arrest, for evidence of that offence. The mnemonic is DIE.
Is PACE in the Section app?
Yes. Section carries the PACE Codes of Practice and police powers alongside its offence catalogue, free on iPhone, and the core library works offline.
Section is an independent study and reference aid for England and Wales. It is not legal advice or official operational guidance. Last reviewed 8 November 2026.
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