The **College of Policing (CoP)** is the professional body for police in England and Wales, setting national standards in training, development, skills, and qualifications to ensure consistency across 43 forces.[1][2][4][5] Established in 2012 as a company limited by guarantee (company number 08235199), it succeeded the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA), absorbing its training roles and the National Police Library, and operates as an arm's-length Home Office body from Ryton-on-Dunsmore, Warwickshire.[2][6] **History** traces to a December 2011 Home Secretary announcement, with input from the Police Federation, Superintendents' Association, ACPO, UNISON, and the Home Office to align with police aspirations.[1][2] It launched officially in December 2012 under CEO Alex Marshall, followed by Mike Cunningham (2018) and current CEO Andy Marsh (2021).[2] Planned as a statutory body, it remains operationally independent.[2][3] **Key achievements** include the **Police Education Qualifications Framework (PEQF)**, launched in 2016, which modernizes curricula for officers from constable to chief, covering staff, PCSOs, and specials.[1] The 2015 Leadership Review proposed transformative changes like flexible career paths, national vacancy advertising, and rank structure reviews to foster leadership and culture shift.[1] CoP authors **Authorised Professional Practice (APP)** guidance on critical areas like firearms, stop-and-search, and investigations, with ongoing updates (e.g., 46 in Q1 2022).[2] Its **Code of Ethics** promotes integrity, while initiatives like the Neighbourhood Policing Programme (NPP) and Practice Bank share crime-fighting interventions.[4] **Current status** (active as of 2025 filings) features robust governance: a board led by independent chair Lord Nick Herbert, with police reps