Guidance

Certification for police chemical irritant sprays: PAVA

Home Office certification procedures for police chemical irritant sprays: PAVA.

• From: Home Office
• Published: 29 July 2014
• Last updated: 5 December 2024 — See all updates

Documents

Home Office standard for police chemical irritants – PAVA

Ref: 23/14

PDF, 705 KB, 38 pages

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Home Office certification for police chemical irritant sprays: PAVA process and guidance

PDF, 780 KB, 36 pages

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Details

The Home Office standard for police chemical irritants – PAVA (publication number 23/14) sets out the requirements for a police chemical irritant spray product (based on PAVA) that must be met in order to gain Home Office certification.

This document replaces existing specifications and standards.

The major revisions include:

• removal of references to CAST and CS
• removal of a section concerning a trial to determine accuracy and handling qualities
• removal of a section on the familiarisation of training sprays
• removal of a section detailing results tables
• removal of a questionnaire for the accuracy and handling trial
• an update to requirements for the compatibility of spray with conducted energy devices
• the movement of requirements for the technical file to an appendix
• an update to the flammability of spray assessment
• an update to assessments relevant to the impact pressure of spray to solid surfaces

The Home Office certification for police chemical irritants – PAVA – process and guidance document provides supporting information for gaining certification of police chemical irritant spray products and should be read in conjunction with the standards document.

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Published 29 July 2014
Last updated 5 December 2024 + show all updates

1. 5 December 2024

   The Home Office certification procedures for police chemical irritant sprays has been updated.

2. 29 July 2014

   First published.