Preamble
This Code of Ethics sets out the minimum standards of professional conduct required of members of the British Polygraph Society (“the Society”, “BPS”). Every member, on admission, undertakes to be bound by this Code. Breach of the Code is a disciplinary matter under the Complaints, Discipline and Appeals Procedure.
The Society has no statutory or regulatory role. The obligations in this Code are contractual obligations owed by the member to the Society on the basis of membership. They do not displace any duty imposed on the member by law, contract, court order, or another professional body of which the member is also a member.
1. Application and Scope
1.1 This Code applies to every member of the Society in relation to their conduct as a polygraph examiner, whether that conduct occurs in the United Kingdom or elsewhere.
1.2 Members shall comply with all applicable law, including but not limited to the Equality Act 2010, the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018, the Human Rights Act 1998, and, where the member conducts examinations under a statutory regime, the Offender Management Act 2007 (ss.28–30) and the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 (s.76).
2. Restrictions on Examinations
2.1 A member shall not conduct, or agree to conduct, a polygraph examination where there is reason to believe that the examination is intended to circumvent, defeat, or defy the law.
2.2 A member shall not conduct an examination of a person who, in the member’s reasonable assessment, lacks the capacity to give informed consent within the meaning of the Mental Capacity Act 2005, except where an examination is lawfully required and appropriate safeguards are in place.
2.3 A member shall not conduct an examination of a child (a person under the age of eighteen) except on the written instruction of a court, a statutory agency, or with the informed written consent of a person with parental responsibility, and subject always to the best interests of the child.
3. Fees
3.1 A member shall not solicit or accept fees, gratuities, or gifts that are intended to influence the member’s opinion, decision, or report.
3.2 A member shall not set a fee for polygraph services that is contingent upon the findings or results of those services. A member shall not vary a fee as a consequence of the opinion or decision rendered.
3.3 Fees shall be agreed in writing with the retaining party before the examination is conducted.
4. Standards of Reporting
4.1 A member shall not knowingly submit, nor permit any person acting under the member’s direction to submit, a misleading or false polygraph examination report.
4.2 Every polygraph report shall be a factual, impartial, and objective account of the information developed during the examination, together with the examiner’s professional conclusion based on analysis of the polygraph data in accordance with the BPS Standards of Practice.
4.3 A member shall not overstate the reliability of the polygraph examination or the certainty of any conclusion. Where a result is inconclusive, the report shall say so.
5. Advertising and Public Statements
5.1 A member shall not publish, cause to be published, or permit to remain in circulation, any false or misleading statement or advertisement relating to the Society, to the member’s own services, or to polygraph examination generally.
5.2 A member shall not misrepresent their category of membership of the Society, their academic or professional credentials, or their APA certification status. Where a member refers to BPS membership in advertising or client-facing material, the member’s category of membership shall be stated accurately.
5.3 A member shall not use the Society’s name, marks, or logo otherwise than in accordance with any guidance issued by the Management Committee.
6. Confidentiality and Release of Information
6.1 A member shall maintain the confidentiality of all information obtained in the course of a polygraph examination. Information shall be released only to the person or body identified in the written informed consent of the examinee, or as required by law, court order, or regulatory obligation.
6.2 A member shall not disclose any personal information gained during an examination that is irrelevant to the issue under examination and which may embarrass or tend to embarrass the examinee, except where disclosure is required by law.
6.3 Members shall process personal data in accordance with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, and in accordance with the Society’s Privacy and Confidentiality Policy.
7. Restrictions on Examination Issues
7.1 A member shall not include in any polygraph examination a question intended to elicit information about a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010 (age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation), except where such information is directly and demonstrably relevant to a specific investigation and the examinee has given informed written consent.
7.2 A member shall not use the polygraph as an instrument of coercion, intimidation, or punishment.
8. Professional Competence
8.1 A member shall practise only within the limits of their training, qualifications, and experience.
8.2 A member shall undertake continuing professional development as required by the BPS CPD and Accreditation Policy.
8.3 A member shall maintain current APA certification (or a recognised equivalent) as a condition of continuing membership of the Society.
9. Dual Relationships and Conflicts of Interest
9.1 A member who holds multiple professional credentials shall not occupy more than one professional role in relation to the same examinee at the same time.
9.2 A member shall not conduct a polygraph examination where the member has a personal, financial, familial, or other relationship with the examinee, the referring party, or any other person, that would give rise to an actual or reasonably perceived conflict of interest, unless the conflict has been disclosed in writing to all relevant parties and the Society’s Conflict of Interest Policy has been followed.
10. Duties to the Society
10.1 A member shall be truthful in all written and oral communications with the Society, including in any application for admission or renewal of membership.
10.2 A member shall co-operate with any investigation, review, or quality control process initiated by the Society under its rules.
10.3 A member shall notify the Secretary in writing, within twenty-one days, of:
- any criminal conviction, caution, or pending criminal charge;
- any disciplinary finding or pending disciplinary proceedings by any other professional body, including the APA;
- the lapse, suspension, or revocation of the member’s APA certification or any other qualification on which membership depends; and
- any civil judgment or regulatory finding adverse to the member in connection with polygraph practice.
11. Enforcement
11.1 A member who administers or attempts to administer a polygraph examination in breach of this Code, or who otherwise breaches this Code or the Standards of Practice, may be subject to investigation and determination under the Complaints, Discipline and Appeals Procedure.
11.2 The sanctions available to the Society are those set out in the Complaints, Discipline and Appeals Procedure and range from a written warning to expulsion from membership and removal from the BPS directory. The Society has no power to impose any sanction other than those specified in that Procedure.
12. Relationship with Other Obligations
12.1 Nothing in this Code displaces, limits, or substitutes for the member’s obligations under the law of England and Wales, or under the law of any other jurisdiction in which the member practises. Where this Code and an applicable legal obligation conflict, the legal obligation prevails.
12.2 Nothing in this Code limits the right of any person to pursue a legal remedy in the courts, or to complain to any statutory or professional body.
Published by
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This document is published by the British Polygraph Society, a professional body for polygraph examiners constituted by its members in 2017 and governed by a written Constitution under the law of England and Wales. For corrections or queries, contact the Secretary at the address above.
© 2026 British Polygraph Society. All rights reserved. This is a governing document of the Society. It may be quoted briefly for commentary, reporting, or study in accordance with fair-dealing exceptions under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. It may not be reproduced in full, adapted, or redistributed — whether online or in print — without the Society's prior written permission. Requests for permission should be addressed to the Secretary at the correspondence address above.