Human Rights Act • Use of force

PLANL police meaning

Justifying use of force or interference with rights. A straightforward operational memory aid for PLANL.

Short answer

A decision-and-review prompt: action should remain proportionate, legal, accountable, necessary and least intrusive as information and circumstances develop.

PLANL
Justifying use of force or interference with rights
PProportionate
LLegal (lawful — grounded in a legal power)
AAccountable (recorded and justifiable, officer answerable for it)
NNecessary
LLeast intrusive

When officers use it

A decision-and-review prompt: action should remain proportionate, legal, accountable, necessary and least intrusive as information and circumstances develop.

Practical point: use the mnemonic alongside current training, procedures and the live facts.

Why Section includes this

Section is a fast UK police reference app for officers and student officers: offences, points to prove, PACE powers and operational mnemonics in one offline place.

What does PLANL stand for?

P = Proportionate, L = Legal, A = Accountable, N = Necessary, L = Least intrusive.

GOWISELY — Stop and search — information the officer must give (PACE s2 / Code A) IDCOPPLAN — Arrest necessity criteria ('ID COP PLAN') — PACE s24 / Code G DIE — Search of a person upon arrest — PACE s32

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