Police Pay

Failing Police Vetting
Serving Officer (UK)

What happens if clearance is withdrawn? The process under the Police (Vetting) Regulations 2025, the dismissal rule and the appeal routes. England and Wales. Updated 30 September 2026.

Professional Standards Guidance

Executive Summary

Vetting is not permanent. It can be withdrawn.

Every officer must hold and maintain vetting clearance (Police (Vetting) Regulations 2025, regulation 5). If a withdrawal assessment ends with clearance withdrawn, the officer must be dismissed without notice (regulation 24(3)). Short of that, clearance can be made subject to conditions or downgraded.

1. What Is Police Vetting?

Police vetting assesses the conduct, honesty, integrity, trustworthiness, reliability and overall suitability of people working in policing, including risks from the people they associate with (College of Policing, Vetting APP, May 2025, 5.1). Police personnel hold one of two levels: recruitment vetting (RV), renewed every 10 years, or management vetting (MV), renewed every 7 years (APP 5.2 and 7.10.1).

RV Police personnel
MV Police personnel
NPPV Non-police personnel only
SC, DV National security vetting, a separate regime

Officers must hold and maintain vetting clearance and promptly report any change in circumstances that may affect it (Police (Vetting) Regulations 2025, regulation 5). National security vetting such as SC is applied on top where a role needs access to government assets, and never replaces police vetting (APP 4.1, 5.1.2 and 5.2.2).

2. Can Vetting Be Withdrawn After Service?

Yes.

The withdrawal procedure starts when information indicating that an officer may no longer be suitable to hold vetting clearance reaches the force's vetting authority (regulation 4). That can be a new conviction or caution, financial problems, undeclared associations or intelligence. Length of service does not protect you. A matter already dealt with under the misconduct or performance rules can still be considered for vetting (regulation 4(2)).

Since 13 July 2026, an officer is treated as not suitable to hold clearance, unless there are exceptional circumstances, if they have a conviction that led to a custodial sentence, are or have been subject to sex offender notification requirements, or have a conviction or caution for a listed offence (mainly sexual offences, stalking, forced marriage and FGM) or for an offence the vetting authority decides involved domestic abuse. Any other conviction or caution also means unsuitability unless particular circumstances justify otherwise (regulation 5D, inserted by SI 2026/653).

3. Immediate Consequences

The vetting authority first makes a vetting severity assessment: could the matter reasonably lead to clearance being withdrawn? If not, it can refer the matter to the misconduct or performance procedures or take no further action. If so, there must be a withdrawal assessment (regulation 15).

While that runs you may be temporarily redeployed or suspended. For matters that reached the vetting authority on or after 13 July 2026, it must suspend you, with pay, if the withdrawal assessment may otherwise be prejudiced or the public interest requires it, after first considering redeployment to other duties or another location (regulation 13, as substituted by SI 2026/653). You can make representations within 7 working days, and suspension must be reviewed at least every 12 weeks (regulation 13A). Matters known before 13 July 2026 stay under the original regulation 13 (SI 2026/653, regulation 28(7)).

4. Operational Criticality

Some posts require management vetting (MV), and some also need national security vetting. A withdrawal assessment can end with MV downgraded to RV rather than withdrawn. The College's vetting guidance says the force must then make every reasonable effort to find a suitable alternative role that requires only RV (APP 7.3.2).

5. The Procedural Process

Step 1 – Notification

An assessor is appointed and gives you a written notice of the matter, the severity assessment, the possible outcomes and your rights, including a police friend and staff association advice (regulations 16 and 18). Information can be withheld under the "harm test", for example to protect intelligence, an investigation or an informant (regulation 8).

Step 2 – Representation

Within 10 working days of the notice (extendable) you can give the assessor a statement, mitigation and documents, including suggested lines of inquiry (regulation 19). You must attend an interview if required, and can have a lawyer there (regulations 10 and 20).

Step 3 – Review Decision

The assessor reports, and the vetting authority decides to impose conditions, downgrade clearance, withdraw it, or deal with the matter another way (regulations 23 and 24). If the chief officer has delegated the decision, a senior officer must authorise it (regulation 3(2)).

6. Can You Appeal?

Yes. You can appeal a withdrawal by written notice within 15 working days of being told the outcome (extendable only for exceptional circumstances). The only grounds are that the decision was unreasonable, that there is new evidence that could have materially affected it, or a breach of procedure or unfairness (regulation 26). The appeal goes to a panel of three: the chief officer (or a delegate) as chair, a lay member appointed by the police and crime commissioner, and a senior officer or senior staff member (regulation 27). The panel can confirm or reverse the decision (regulation 30).

If the panel confirms withdrawal, you can appeal to a police appeals tribunal on the same three grounds; those tribunal hearings are held in private (Police Appeals Tribunals Rules 2020, rule 5A, inserted by regulation 31 of the Vetting Regulations). Since 13 July 2026 you can also appeal a decision to add or vary conditions on your clearance (regulation 5F). The harm test may still limit what is disclosed to you.

7. Dismissal Risk

Direct. Since 14 May 2025, an officer whose clearance is withdrawn "must be dismissed without notice", with effect from the date the decision is notified (regulation 24(3) and (4)). It is not a misconduct or capability procedure.

8. Redeployment?

Every police role needs clearance, so there is no unvetted role to move to after withdrawal. Redeployment matters at two other points: as an alternative to suspension while the assessment runs (regulation 13(5)), and after a downgrade from MV to RV (APP 7.3.2).

9. Financial Failures

Financial difficulty, such as CCJs, unmanageable debt or gambling, is one of the areas vetting looks at, and you must report relevant changes promptly (regulation 5). Evidence of how you are managing it, such as a debt plan and a record of repayments, and having declared it yourself, can be put to the assessor as mitigation (regulation 19).

10. Association Risk

Vetting considers risks from the people you associate with, such as relationships with people involved in crime (APP 5.1). New associations of that kind are a change in circumstances you must report.

11. Intelligence

Intelligence can affect vetting without any conviction, and the harm test can limit what you are told about it (regulation 8).

12. Pension Impact

Vetting withdrawal does NOT affect pension directly.

Dismissal stops further pension building up, but you keep what you have built up under your scheme's normal leaver rules (usually a deferred pension, or a refund of contributions with under two years' service). Forfeiture needs a criminal conviction, not a vetting outcome.

Pension Rules →

13. Transfers

Not after withdrawal.

Withdrawal means dismissal, so there is no transfer. Since 13 July 2026, any transferring officer needs clearance granted by the receiving force's own vetting authority no more than six months before appointment, and if that force declines it must report its reasons to your current force, which must then carry out a full vetting review (regulation 5C).

15. Common Misunderstandings

Myth

Vetting is permanent.

Reality

It is renewed (RV every 10 years, MV every 7) and can be reviewed at any time. Since 13 July 2026 the vetting authority must also review clearance after misconduct proceedings that do not end in dismissal (regulation 5A(3)).

Myth

Only convictions matter.

Reality

Finances, associations and intelligence are all assessed, not just criminal records.

Myth

Losing vetting is administrative, so the job is safe.

Reality

Withdrawal means dismissal without notice (regulation 24(3)). Get Federation or legal advice as soon as you receive a notice.

Common Questions

Can a serving officer be dismissed for failing vetting?

Yes. Since 14 May 2025 the Police (Vetting) Regulations 2025 say an officer whose vetting clearance is withdrawn must be dismissed without notice (regulation 24(3)), with effect from the date the decision is notified. Withdrawal only follows a withdrawal assessment; the other possible outcomes are conditions, a downgrade of clearance, or referral of the matter elsewhere.

Does failing vetting mean gross misconduct?

No. A withdrawal assessment is a separate procedure under the Vetting Regulations, not a misconduct finding, but it can still end in dismissal without notice. Where a matter is to be or may be dealt with under the Conduct Regulations, the Performance Regulations or the police complaints system, no withdrawal assessment can take place for that period (regulation 12(4)).

Can vetting be reinstated?

A decision to withdraw can be reversed on appeal by a three-person panel (regulation 30) or, after that, by a police appeals tribunal. Clearance ends when you stop being a police officer (regulation 6), so after dismissal there is nothing to reinstate: any return to policing needs a fresh vetting application, and the College of Policing's vetting guidance says a previous withdrawal calls for particular scrutiny.

Does vetting withdrawal affect pension?

Not directly. Dismissal ends pension building up, but you keep what you have built up under your scheme's normal leaver rules. Forfeiture of a police pension needs a criminal conviction, not a vetting or misconduct outcome.

Can you transfer forces after vetting failure?

An officer whose clearance is withdrawn is dismissed, so a transfer is no longer possible. For transfers generally, since 13 July 2026 the receiving force cannot appoint you unless its own vetting authority has granted you clearance no more than six months before appointment (regulation 5C).

Sources (checked 30 September 2026)

General information, not advice on your case. Police staff are dealt with under a separate withdrawal procedure and employment law (APP 9.13.5.c), not these Regulations.

"Vetting protects operational integrity. Understanding the process reduces uncertainty."

Misconduct Hub Regulation 13 Guide Vetting & Licence to Practise