My understanding of the policies and procedures that are in place within my current organisation is that they are in place to minimise incidents, follow current legislation that is set by governing bodies, to ensure that we follow guidelines for each and every scenario so we stay within regulations
Policies are in place as a guide to how to deal with day to day occurrences which keep you within current legislation and codes of practice.
Policies highlight the action that is to followed or should be taken to achieve a said outcome, it can highlight who should undertake this and how is responsible within the organisation or