Determinations of The Secretary of State under the police regulations 2003
Published 16 September 2019
© Crown copyright 2019
This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gov.uk.
Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.
This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/circular-0072019-eyesight-standards-police-recruitment/determinations-of-the-secretary-of-state-under-the-police-regulations-2003
The Secretary of State, in exercise of the powers conferred by regulation 10 of the Police Regulations 2003 (SI 2003/537), as amended, makes the following determination.
In accordance with the requirements of regulation 46 (1), the Secretary of State has obtained the approval of the College of Policing to the making of this determination.
The Secretary of State has determined that, with effect from 16th September 2019, the determination made under regulation 10 (Annex A) is replaced with the following determination.
Regulation 10, Annex A
Eyesight standards, police recruitment
The standard of eyesight which must be met by a candidate for appointment to a police force in respect of each of the matters specified in the first column of the following table is that specified in the second column of the table.
| Eyesight | Mandatory requirement |
|---|---|
| Static Visual Acuity[footnote 1] | Corrected distance visual acuity must be 6/12 in either eye and 6/6 or better, binocularly.Corrected near static visual acuity must be 6/9 or better, binocularly. (Applicants who do not reach the standard should not be rejected but should be invited for a further test after obtaining a stronger prescription]). Corrected low contrast distance visual acuity must be 6/12 or better for a 10% contrast target, binocularly. |
| Visual Field[footnote 2] | A field-of-view of at least 120 degrees horizontally by 100 degrees vertically is required. The field-of-view should be free of any large defective areas, particularly in the fovea. Single defects smaller than the physiological blind spot, and multiple defects that add to an area smaller than the physiological blind spot, should be acceptable. |
| Colour Vision[footnote 3] | Monochromats should be rejected. Mild anomalous trichromats are acceptable and should be treated as normal. Severe anomalous trichromats and dichromats are also acceptable and should be instructed in coping strategies. (Applicants who show a lowered discrimination for blue colours should be referred to an ophthalmologist for further assessment. This should include a measure of their dark adaptation performance). |
| Spectacles and contact lenses | Correction should be worn where necessary to achieve 6/6 binocularly. Corrective spectacles and contact lenses are acceptable for the tasks of an Operational Police Constable. |
-
Acuity should be measured using a Snellen eye chart, or equivalent ↩
-
The field of view may be tested using a confrontation test. However, it is recommended that forces use more sophisticated testing equipment, where possible. If the results of the confrontation test suggest that there is a reduced visual field, or if the results of the medical questionnaire suggest an increased risk of reduced visual field, applicants should be referred to an ophthalmologist for a thorough examination of their visual field. ↩
-
Applicants should not wear ‘colour correcting’ lenses during the colour vision test. ↩