Written questions

Police: Lie Detectors

2026-07-20 · Home Office · HL2371 · Official question

Question

To ask His Majesty's Government how many police forces have used polygraph tests in each of the last five years, and on how many occasions for each police force, including (1) to inform investigations, (2) to use test results as evidence in court, (3) for

Answer

The Home Office does not centrally collect data on the number of police forces using polygraph tests, the frequency of their use, or their application in specific investigation types. Police forces are operationally independent of Government, and it is fo...