Police part‑time and leave rules change on 29 Dec 2025
Two practical tweaks are coming to police terms and conditions in England and Wales. From 29 December 2025, the Police (Amendment) Regulations 2025-SI 2025/1274-update how forces handle part‑time appointments and how annual leave can be taken. The instrument was signed by Home Office minister Sarah Jones on 4 December and laid before Parliament on 8 December, with commencement on 29 December. Source: legislation.gov.uk.
If you teach or study public law: a Statutory Instrument (SI) is secondary legislation. It’s the standard way ministers change the detail of existing rules without passing a new Act. SIs are short, technical texts that slot new words into older regulations and are published with an explanatory note to help non‑lawyers. That’s why they’re great case studies for media‑literacy lessons. See the UK Parliament explainer.
What changes on part‑time? Regulation 5 of the 2003 Police Regulations is amended so chief officers no longer have to consult “local representatives of the representative bodies” before appointing someone on a part‑time basis. The amendment also deletes paragraph (7) and explicitly aligns how part‑time officers are treated with full‑time colleagues for things like probation and overtime. The SI confirms these edits; the 2003 text previously baked in a local consultation step.
What this means in practice: applications to move to part‑time hours should face fewer administrative hurdles. You should still expect decisions to follow force policies and equality duties, but removing a mandatory consultation stage can speed up outcomes and make flexible working more straightforward for officers and managers. The Home Office records that the College of Policing approved the relevant text, and that pay review body advice was not sought given the narrow scope of the changes.
Annual leave gets a wording fix with day‑to‑day impact. Regulation 33 is amended so that leave may be granted and taken in “periods” rather than only in “days” or “half days”. In plain terms, forces can authorise shorter blocks-such as a few hours-rather than making you book a whole half‑day to attend an appointment. The previous 2003 wording centred on days and half days; the new instrument replaces that with flexible periods.
How could “periods” work for you? Picture a late shift where you need 90 minutes off at the start, or a school event that takes two hours mid‑tour. Under the amended rule, line managers can grant a period of leave matching that time, instead of forcing a half‑day. Your total entitlement doesn’t grow, but the units you can use become more flexible. Always check your force’s local policy for the approval process that sits under Regulation 33.
Key dates and process matter for exams and briefs. This SI was made on 4 December, laid on 8 December, and takes effect on 29 December. That timetable matches the 21‑day convention used for ‘made negative’ instruments, which become law unless annulled during a 40‑day window-an inference based on timing and House of Commons guidance on negative procedure.
Where this sits alongside other rules: Regulations set the framework; Secretary of State “determinations” fill in details like entitlements. Earlier this year, the Home Office updated Annex O (Annual Leave) determinations, showing how specifics such as leave totals are handled beneath Regulation 33. Today’s change is about the unit you can take-periods-rather than the size of your annual pot.
For classrooms and briefing rooms, here are the two takeaways you can test yourself on. First, small drafting changes-replacing “days” with “periods”-can shift everyday practice more than you might expect. Second, removing a consultation requirement can shorten decision paths while keeping accountability through force policy, equality law and oversight by bodies such as the College of Policing. Both are visible, teachable examples of how secondary legislation shapes working life.