Constitution

Document: Constitution of the British Polygraph Society
Status: Adopted and in force
Version: 1.0
Adopted by: The members of the British Polygraph Society
Effective date: 1 January 2020
Last reviewed: January 2026 (reaffirmed without amendment)
Next review due: January 2029
Review cycle: Every three years, or on a resolution of the members

1. Name

1.1 The name of the Society is the British Polygraph Society (“the Society”, “BPS”).

2. Legal Status

2.1 The Society is an unincorporated association of its members, established under the law of England and Wales. It is not a body corporate and has no separate legal personality.

2.2 The Society is not a statutory regulator. It exercises no authority over persons who are not members of the Society.

2.3 The obligations imposed by this Constitution and by the Society’s subordinate documents are contractual obligations owed by members to the Society and to one another on the basis of their membership.

3. Objects

3.1 The objects of the Society are:

1. to promote the competent and ethical practice of polygraph examination in the United Kingdom;
2. to maintain and publish a Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice binding on members;
3. to maintain a public directory of examiners who are members in good standing;
4. to promote continuing professional development among members;
5. to provide a mechanism for the receipt and determination of complaints against members in relation to their conduct as examiners;
6. to represent the shared professional interests of its members; and
7. to do such other lawful things as are incidental or conducive to the foregoing.

4. Powers

4.1 In furtherance of its objects, the Society may:

1. admit, suspend, and expel members in accordance with this Constitution and the Membership Regulations;
2. collect subscriptions, fees, and voluntary contributions;
3. hold funds in an account opened in the name of the Society and operated by the Management Committee;
4. enter into contracts through its officers acting on behalf of the members;
5. publish policies, guidance, and notices binding on members;
6. investigate and adjudicate complaints against members;
7. maintain records, including records of members and of disciplinary proceedings; and
8. do all other things lawfully incidental to its objects.

4.2 The Society shall not carry on any trade with a view to profit. Any surplus of income over expenditure shall be applied to the objects of the Society.

5. Membership

5.1 Membership of the Society is open to natural persons who:

1. hold current certification from the American Polygraph Association (APA) or an equivalent qualification recognised by the Management Committee;
2. are of good character and fitness to practise;
3. submit a complete application in the form required by the Management Committee; and
4. undertake in writing to be bound by this Constitution, the Code of Ethics, the Standards of Practice, and all other policies adopted by the Society from time to time.

5.2 The Society has the following classes of membership:

1. Intern Member — an examiner in supervised training who has not yet completed the requirements for full Member status;
2. Member — an examiner who holds current APA certification (or equivalent) and who meets the criteria set out in the Membership Regulations;
3. Senior Member — a Member who has satisfied the additional experience and CPD requirements set out in the Membership Regulations;
4. Honorary Member — a person admitted by resolution of the members in recognition of distinguished service to the profession;
5. Affiliate Member — a practising professional in a role adjacent to polygraph examination (including but not limited to treatment providers, probation or HMPPS staff, barristers and solicitors, HR and corporate investigators, forensic psychologists, and clinicians) who is bound by the Code of Ethics in respect of their engagement with polygraph practice but who does not conduct polygraph examinations as a BPS-listed examiner;
6. Research Member — a researcher or scientist holding a postgraduate qualification, or with a demonstrable research track record, in a field relevant to polygraphy (including psychophysiology, credibility assessment, forensic science, statistics, or machine learning);
7. Student Member — a person in training towards examiner certification, or in postgraduate study in a field relevant to polygraphy, who has not yet qualified for another class of membership.

5.2.1 Only Members, Senior Members, and Honorary Members who also hold Member or Senior Member status have voting rights. Intern, Affiliate, Research, Student, and other Honorary Members have no vote at general meetings.

5.2.2 Every member of every class signs the Member Undertaking and is bound by the Code of Ethics. Provisions of the Code of Ethics, the Standards of Practice, and other policies that are specific to the conduct of polygraph examinations apply to members of classes other than Intern Member, Member, and Senior Member only where and to the extent that those members conduct such examinations.

5.2.3 Only Intern Members, Members, and Senior Members are listed in the public BPS examiner directory. Affiliate Members are listed in a separate Affiliates directory and shall not hold themselves out as BPS-listed polygraph examiners.

5.3 Admission to membership is determined by the Management Committee, whose decision is final subject only to appeal under the Complaints, Discipline and Appeals Procedure.

5.4 A member may resign at any time by notice in writing to the Secretary. Resignation does not entitle the member to any refund of subscriptions paid.

5.5 Membership is terminated on:

1. resignation;
2. non-payment of subscriptions after notice as provided in the Membership Regulations;
3. expulsion following determination under the Complaints, Discipline and Appeals Procedure;
4. death; or
5. revocation, lapse, or non-renewal of the member’s APA certification (or recognised equivalent), unless the Management Committee determines otherwise in exceptional circumstances.

5.6 A person whose membership has ended ceases to be entitled to describe themselves as a member of the Society, to appear in the BPS directory, or to use any BPS mark, designation, or post-nominal.

6. Subscriptions

6.1 Members shall pay an annual subscription at the rate determined by the members in general meeting, on the recommendation of the Management Committee.

6.2 The financial year of the Society runs from 1 January to 31 December.

7. Management Committee

7.1 The affairs of the Society are managed by a Management Committee (“the Committee”) elected by the members.

7.2 The Committee shall consist of not fewer than three and not more than nine members, including the following officers:

1. a Chair;
2. a Secretary; and
3. a Treasurer.

7.3 Officers and other Committee members are elected at the Annual General Meeting and hold office for a term of two years. Retiring officers and members are eligible for re-election.

7.4 Only persons who are Members or Senior Members in good standing are eligible for election to the Committee.

7.5 The Committee shall meet at least four times in each financial year. The quorum for a meeting of the Committee is three. Decisions are taken by simple majority of those present and voting; in the event of a tie the Chair has a casting vote.

7.6 The Committee may co-opt further members to fill casual vacancies until the next Annual General Meeting.

7.7 The Committee may appoint sub-committees and delegate defined functions to them, but remains responsible for the discharge of those functions.

7.8 No member of the Committee is entitled to remuneration for service on the Committee. Reasonable out-of-pocket expenses may be reimbursed.

8. General Meetings

8.1 An Annual General Meeting (“AGM”) shall be held in each calendar year, not more than fifteen months after the date of the preceding AGM.

8.2 The business of the AGM shall include:

1. receipt of the Chair’s report;
2. receipt and consideration of the accounts for the preceding financial year;
3. election of officers and other Committee members;
4. approval of the subscription rate for the following year; and
5. any other business of which notice has been given in accordance with this Constitution.

8.3 An Extraordinary General Meeting (“EGM”) may be called at any time by the Committee, and must be called on the written request of not fewer than ten per cent of the members entitled to vote.

8.4 Not less than twenty-one days’ notice in writing shall be given to each member of any General Meeting, stating the business to be transacted.

8.5 The quorum for a General Meeting is the lower of (a) ten members entitled to vote, or (b) twenty per cent of the total voting membership.

8.6 Each Member, Senior Member, and Honorary Member (where that Honorary Member also holds Member or Senior Member status) has one vote. Intern, Affiliate, Research, and Student Members, and Honorary Members who do not also hold Member or Senior Member status, have no vote. Voting is by show of hands, save that any three voting members present may require a poll on any question.

8.7 Meetings may be held in person, by electronic means, or by a combination of both, provided that each participant can hear and be heard by every other participant.

9. Finance and Liability

9.1 Proper books of account shall be kept by the Treasurer and shall be available for inspection by any member on reasonable notice.

9.2 The accounts shall be examined annually by an independent examiner appointed by the members in general meeting.

9.3 As an unincorporated association, the Society has no separate legal personality. Contracts are entered into by officers acting on behalf of the members. Members are not personally liable for the debts or obligations of the Society save to the extent of any unpaid subscription or as expressly provided in this Constitution.

10. Code of Ethics, Standards and Complaints

10.1 Every member is bound by the Code of Ethics and the Standards of Practice adopted by the Society, as amended from time to time.

10.2 Complaints against members are dealt with under the Complaints, Discipline and Appeals Procedure. The sanctions available to the Society are limited to those specified in that Procedure, the most severe of which is expulsion from membership and removal from the BPS directory.

10.3 Nothing in the Society’s procedures displaces or limits any right of a complainant, member, or third party to pursue legal remedies in the courts of England and Wales or to make a complaint to any other body.

11. Alteration of the Constitution

11.1 This Constitution may be altered only by a resolution passed at a General Meeting by a majority of not less than two-thirds of the members present and voting.

11.2 No alteration shall be made that would cause the Society to cease to pursue its objects as set out in clause 3.

12. Dissolution

12.1 The Society may be dissolved by a resolution passed at a General Meeting called for that purpose, by a majority of not less than three-quarters of the members present and voting.

12.2 On dissolution, the remaining assets of the Society shall, after satisfaction of its debts and liabilities, be transferred to a not-for-profit body with objects similar to those of the Society, as determined by the members in the resolution for dissolution.

13. Governing Law and Jurisdiction

13.1 This Constitution is governed by and construed in accordance with the law of England and Wales.

13.2 The courts of England and Wales have exclusive jurisdiction over any dispute arising out of or in connection with this Constitution, save that any dispute shall first be raised through the internal procedures of the Society where those procedures apply.

14. Adoption

14.1 This Constitution was adopted by the members of the British Polygraph Society on the date recorded in the document header and supersedes any previous constitution of the Society.