The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) was set up over 50 years ago so that work in developing policing policies could be undertaken in one place, on behalf of the Service as a whole, rather than in 44 forces separately.

The Association supports the philosophy of strong local policing, and believes that must be maintained within the tripartite framework of policing which brings together the local Chief Constable, the local Police Authority and the Home Secretary.

But the nature of modern crime, with an increasingly international dimension, and the ever present need to use public resources to best effect, places a voluntary duty on forces to work together, employing common policies, strategies and methods wherever possible.