Special Police Services Charging Policy

1. Statement of Policy

Policing is primarily provided as a public service, majority funded from national and local taxation. However, there are also some functions performed that are beyond ordinary public duty, where it is appropriate for Dyfed-Powys Police to make charges to individuals or organisations to recover costs.

In other areas, there are opportunities for Dyfed-Powys Police to provide goods or services which are relevant to specific policing roles and skills.

Ensuring that charges are levied effectively in such circumstances protects the public police provision and contribute to the overall funding of the service. This policy pays regard to the requirements for stewardship of public funds. 

This policy is intended to achieve consistency wherever possible and to secure credibility and confidence in the charging process and to ensure that proper cost recovery across the service is not undermined.

This policy is based on the guidance provided by the National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC) in their documents: National Policing Guidelines on Charging for Police Services: Special Police Services and National Policing Guidelines on Charging for Police Services: General. These documents are referred to throughout this policy as “the Guidelines”.

The NPCC Guidelines provide the rationale behind the need to charge individuals and bodies for certain Special Police Services and therefore those reasons are not repeated in the body of this policy. This policy outlines how the guidance provided is implemented in Dyfed-Powys Police.

This policy applies to any person who requests the provision of Special Police Services (for example at an event); there are three classifications of events, in particular:

1. Commercial events, intended to generate private profit;
2. Non-commercial events, i.e. charitable or community events;
3. Statutory events reflecting constitutional rights or processes.

Also applies (but not limited) to: All categories of Dyfed-Powys Police officers and staff, whether full-time, part-time, permanent, fixed term, temporary (including agency staff, associates and contractors), seconded staff and volunteers. Police Officers, staff and volunteers accessing and using Force assets and property must have due regard to the contents of this policy.

 

2. Policy Scope

Special Police Services are policing services provided at the request of a person or organisation and are not part of the force’s obligation to provide policing for the public at large. Examples include event policing, commercial filming, and abnormal load escorts.

Dyfed‑Powys Police applies the following principles:

• No charging for core policing duties
• Charges are based on full cost recovery, not profit
• Charging decisions are fair, consistent, and proportionate
• Income generation must not undermine public confidence
• Equality, accessibility, and Welsh community context are considered in all charging decisions.

The force does not charge for:

• Prevention, detection, and investigation of crime
• Public order policing where police determine it is necessary
• Emergency response and statutory policing duties

These activities are funded through public grant and precept and fall outside income recovery powers.

Requests for SPS

Requests for SPS will:

• Be formally assessed using a documented risk and necessity process
• Consider threat, harm, risk, and community impact
• Remain subject to the Chief Constable’s operational judgment

Policing required in discharge of statutory duties cannot be treated as SPS.

Dyfed-Powys Police is using NPCC national charging methodologies, as outlined in the guidelines.

It is strongly recommended to charge the Full Economic Cost of Special Police Services provided for commercial events. It is essential that this approach is adopted consistently across the country to ensure that legitimate recovery of police costs is not undermined. Any departure from this principle should only be made on exceptional grounds and with the specific approval of the PCC.

Details on approval levels can be seen within the Corporate Governance Framework.

Charging for events and abatements

The policing of all events should be costed in the first instance on a full economic cost basis in accordance with the National SPS rates incorporated within the NPCC guidelines. The guidelines provides appendices with specific rates per police officer rank/Police Community Support Officers; use of these rates ensures a consistent approach across police forces, providing greater certainty for those organisations seeking to engage a force in a chargeable activity.

The approach taken by Dyfed-Powys Police and the Dyfed-Powys Police and Crime Commissioner consists of applying one of the following three categories to all events:

1. Full Economic Cost – default position for special policing services.
2. Total Direct Cost - non-commercial events, such as local authority community events, religious parades and wholly charitable events.
3. Not Chargeable – statutory or constitutional events.

This makes any charging assessment simpler, more transparent and more easily understood by both customers and forces.

For Statutory events, such as Remembrance Day parades, Jubilee or constitutional events, police attendance is often part of the normal police annual duties and Not Chargeable.

For non-commercial events, such as local authority community events, religious parades and wholly charitable events, forces often charge the Direct Cost of policing the event.

The costs the police service can recover are:

• Employable Cost: This represents the basic actual cost of the service providers, including on-costs but with no allowance for the recovery of overheads;
• Direct Costs: This is the cost of an officer including a standard overtime recovery element;
• Operational Resource Cost: This represents the cost of the resource employed in the provision of the service. Here, the direct costs and the direct overheads are included;
• Full Economic Cost: This calculation includes all properly attributable costs, including contributions to administrative and general indirect overheads. However, this indirect overhead recovery must relate to the relevant overhead base.

Dyfed-Powys Police and the Dyfed-Powys Police and Crime Commissioner have fully adopted the charging methodologies included in the NPCC guidelines. Charges are invoiced in advance where appropriate and will include provisions for cancellation and non-payment.

The policy permits abatements or reductions where the event is charitable, community‑based, or non‑commercial, or where charging would undermine community confidence/there is clear public benefit.

All abatements must be approved at an appropriate senior level and be documented and auditable. Abatements must also align with equality and fairness principles.

Income generated is managed in accordance with the Joint Corporate Governance Framework and is recorded, monitored, and reported transparently. It also contributes to protecting frontline policing and value for money.

Debt recovery, invoicing, and audit arrangements follow PCC‑approved financial procedures.

 

3.  Powers and Policy/Legal Requirements

This is a discretionary service, and any request should be made on reasonable notice, be formal and in writing. Rights are reserved by Dyfed-Powys Police to object to any events and reserve the right to not deploy.

This policy is underpinned by:

• Section 25 of the Police Act 1996 (as amended)
• Section 15 of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011
• Local Authorities (Goods and Services) act 1970 (as applied to PCCs)
• Relevant case law distinguishing core policing from chargeable services (as outlined in the Guidelines)

This policy adopts the NPCC National Policing Guidelines on Charging for Police Services: General and Special Police Services as the authoritative interpretation of these powers.

To ensure consistency, the following documents must be used in conjunction with this document:

• Corporate Governance Framework
• National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC) National Policing Guidelines on Charging for Police Services

The following existing policies are particularly relevant and must be read alongside this policy:

• Anti‑Fraud and Corruption Policy
• Business Interest, Secondary Employment and Voluntary/Public Duties Policy
• Freedom of Information Policy
• Information Asset Management and Data Protection Policies
• Procurement Policy

Operational procedures sit beneath this policy and align with the broader Dyfed‑Powys Police policy framework.

 

4.  Options and Contingencies

The Police and Crime Commissioner

In accordance with the Joint Corporate Governance Framework, the PCC is responsible for:

• Setting the strategic framework for income generation
• Ensuring income collection supports sustainability and value for money
• Approving charging policies and fees
• Holding the Chief Constable to account for financial management

Income is a specific component of the PCC’s financial stewardship responsibilities under section 10.2 (Income) of the governance framework.

The Chief Constable

The Chief Constable retains:

• Operational independence
• Decision‑making authority over whether policing is required in the public interest
• Responsibility for delivering services within the charging framework

No charging decision may compromise operational policing independence.

 

5.  Take action and review

Based on an adequate risk assessment, the level of police resource can be determined for each event. This is normally achieved by direct communication with the event organiser and is discussed internally at Licensing and Event Review Meetings, or event-specific meetings.

This policy is reviewed annually, or when the NPCC Guidelines are updated, by the Director of Finance of the Chief Constable/Chief Financial Officer of the OPCC. This is to ensure that it is compliant with current legislation and remains fit for purpose. The PCC monitors compliance and scrutiny of this policy area through existing governance mechanisms, for example, through the Corporate Governance Framework.

This policy is published on both the Police and Crime Commissioner’s website, as well as Dyfed-Powys Police’s website in Welsh and in English.

CODE OF ETHICS CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE

This policy has been drafted in accordance with the Code of Ethics and has been reviewed on the basis of its content and the supporting evidence and it is deemed compliant with that Code and the principles underpinning it.

HUMAN RIGHTS ACT CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE

This policy has been drafted in accordance with the Human Rights Act and has been reviewed on the basis of its content and the supporting evidence and it is deemed compliant with that Act and the principles underpinning it.

EQUALITY IMPACT ASSESSMENT

Section 4 of the Equality Act 2010 sets out the protected characteristics that qualify for protection under the Act as follows: Age; Disability; Gender Reassignment; Marriage and Civil Partnership; Pregnancy and Maternity; Race; Religion or Belief; Sex; Sexual Orientation.

The public sector equality duty places a proactive legal requirement on public bodies to have regard, in the exercise of their functions, to the need to:

• eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation, and any other conduct that is unlawful under the Act;
• advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it;
• foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it.

The equality duty applies to all protected characteristics with the exception of Marriage and Civil Partnership, to which only the duty to have regard to the need to eliminate discrimination applies.

Carrying out an equality impact assessment involves systematically assessing the likely or actual effects of policies on people in respect of all the protected characteristics set out above. An equality impact assessment should be carried out on any policy that is relevant to the public sector equality duty. 

EQUALITY IMPACT ASSESSMENT COMPLETED: April 2026