Police investigation management
Risk of replication of past management failures in police investigations due to absence of systems ensuring compliance.
189 items
1 source
23 inquiries
Source spread
Where this theme appears
Police investigation management has been flagged across 1 independent accountability source:
189 inquiry recs
This theme has been identified in one data source. As more data is added, cross-references may emerge.
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Source-grouped records are useful for tracing where a concern came from. Large sections show the 50 strongest matches for that source; counts still show the full theme total.
Inquiry Recommendations (189) — showing 50 strongest matches
126 — Control of interview tapes
Recommendation: Clear arrangements should be made to secure the control and custody of any audio-tapes or video-tapes of interviews with children (17.68).
Unknown
119 — Agreed strategy for joint interviews
Recommendation: Where agencies are to undertake joint interviews, there should be an agreed strategy both for the course of interviews and for the resolution of disputes and for the assessment of the ongoing work both by managers and interviewers (17.59).
Unknown
117 — Channels from interviewers to case managers
Recommendation: Clear communication channels should be set up from interviewers to case managers (17.57).
Unknown
116 — Interviewers to keep an open mind
Recommendation: The importance should be recognised of interviewers keeping an open mind on the truth or otherwise of any allegations (17.56).
Unknown
114 — Avoid interviewers of other children
Recommendation: Wherever possible interviewers who have dealt extensively with children making allegations about other children should not be involved in interviews of those other children (17.53).
Unknown
111 — Plan all details before interviewing
Recommendation: All details should be thoroughly planned before any interviewing starts (17.50).
Unknown
109 — Plan purpose and course of interviews
Recommendation: The purpose, techniques and course of any interviews should be planned at the outset as well as the need to make an overall assessment of the child (17.48).
Unknown
12 — Agencies share information in joint approach
Recommendation: In a joint approach while investigation of a case is properly a matter for the police each agency should share fully with each other the whole information relevant to their particular responsibilities (15.30-31).
Unknown
10 — Secrecy and planning in multiple abuse cases
Recommendation: In the investigation of multiple sexual abuse a high level of secrecy and organisation, a carefully planned approach and a degree of caution should be adopted (15.26-27).
Unknown
FP75 — Recommendation 75
Recommendation: COPFS should ensure that appropriate written guidance as to fingerprint evidence is available to its staff. COPFS should also ensure that a sufficient number of lawyers fully conversant with fingerprint evidence are available to deal with any issues that may …
No response yet
FP74 — Recommendation 74
Recommendation: The SPSA should develop a procedure for the provision of information to COPFS where issues have been raised about the performance of an examiner who may be required to report or give evidence. COPFS should provide SPSA with guidance as …
No response yet
FP71 — Recommendation 71
Recommendation: All fingerprint examiners at SPSA should receive court skills training at suitable intervals. The training should emphasise the role of the expert witness.
No response yet
FP65 — Recommendation 65
Recommendation: The use of technology to assist fingerprint examiners in demonstrating to the court aspects of their evidence should be explored.
No response yet
FP64 — Recommendation 64
Recommendation: COPFS should pay particular attention to ensuring that fingerprint evidence is presented to the court in such manner as to be readily understood by the judge and jury.
No response yet
FP63 — Recommendation 63
Recommendation: In the event of a challenge to an identification the defence should disclose the full reasons why it believes that the SPSA examiners’ opinions are incorrect. This may require the disclosure of marked up images of mark and print with …
No response yet
FP62 — Recommendation 62
Recommendation: As a matter of good practice, defence examiners should examine the unmarked mark and print and reach their own conclusions on that material before examining any marked images produced by SPSA.
No response yet
FP61 — Recommendation 61
Recommendation: Fingerprint examiners engaged by the defence should be afforded access to any other images of the mark or fingerprint forms as are available to SPSA and COPFS. If negatives are available, arrangements should be made on request to provide the …
No response yet
FP60 — Recommendation 60
Recommendation: Fingerprint examiners engaged by the defence should be afforded access to the same material as that used by SPSA, in appropriate examination or laboratory conditions.
No response yet
FP59 — Recommendation 59
Recommendation: Each examiner’s separate opinion should cover: (i) the images of the mark and also the specific print used in the comparison; (ii) the examiner’s opinion about the quality of the mark; (iii) if the examiner considers the mark to be …
No response yet
FP58 — Recommendation 58
Recommendation: The joint report prepared should be supported by the production of the individual opinions. It should be a matter for the Crown and defence to determine whether the joint report would suffice in a given case, or whether examiners should …
No response yet
FP57 — Recommendation 57
Recommendation: Each examiner should provide a separate written opinion and prepare his or her own material before any attempt is made to produce a joint report.
No response yet
FP56 — Recommendation 56
Recommendation: The following information should always be provided to the Crown: (i) a list of names of all examiners who have examined the mark at SPSA and their opinions as to the mark and the comparison; (ii) whether the complex marks …
No response yet
FP55 — Recommendation 55
Recommendation: SPSA and COPFS should agree and implement, as a matter of urgency, a process for the provision of information by SPSA to COPFS. COPFS should provide SPSA with information and advice as to the Crown’s duty of disclosure with a …
No response yet
FP54 — Recommendation 54
Recommendation: The omission of the SPSA from the statutory scheme of disclosure under sections 117 to 120 inclusive of the Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2010 should be reviewed. The SPSA should be regarded as having the same duties as …
No response yet
FP52 — Recommendation 52
Recommendation: Where notes are required as a result of the preceding recommendations, the notes should be taken at each stage of ACE-V by every examiner involved in the process at that stage and should cover the following matters: (i) the assessment …
No response yet
FP51 — Recommendation 51
Recommendation: Notes should be taken in any case in which a fresh comparison is made in response to a request from the Crown for a report.
No response yet
FP50 — Recommendation 50
Recommendation: Examiners should always take notes when they are examining marks that they consider to be complex.
No response yet
FP49 — Recommendation 49
Recommendation: The audit trail for a mark should be available to the Crown if requested.
No response yet
FP48 — Recommendation 48
Recommendation: Any discussions between examiners (including any consultation with an examiner not directly involved in the comparison of the mark in question) at any stage of ACE-V should be recorded.
No response yet
FP47 — Recommendation 47
Recommendation: A record should be kept for each mark which (i) shows whether or not it has been regarded as suitable for comparison; (ii) lists all prints with which it has been compared.
No response yet
FP46 — Recommendation 46
Recommendation: Any image(s) studied by the examiner in making an identification should be provided to the Crown on request together with the remainder of the selection of images.
No response yet
FP45 — Recommendation 45
Recommendation: The selection of images provided to the examiner, the image chosen for comparison work and the photographic negatives, if any, should all be recorded as part of the audit trail.
No response yet
FP44 — Recommendation 44
Recommendation: The method used by scene of crime examiners to detect and record a mark should be recorded as part of the audit trail for that mark.
No response yet
FP43 — Recommendation 43
Recommendation: Where the police or COPFS require a fingerprint comparison to be reconsidered by SPSA for any reason the matter should be referred to the review panel to be addressed in accordance with the procedures recommended in recommendation 36.
No response yet
FP41 — Recommendation 41
Recommendation: Consideration requires to be given to the need for examiners to examine the object on which the mark was found
No response yet
FP40 — Recommendation 40
Recommendation: Any adjustments made to a photographic print should be recorded as part of the audit trail.
No response yet
FP39 — Recommendation 39
Recommendation: In relation to digital images: (i) the digital original should be stored separately; (ii) any digital image processing should be carried out only on accurate replicas of the digital original; (iii) any adjustments made to the digital image should be …
No response yet
FP38 — Recommendation 38
Recommendation: Fingerprint photographers should provide an examiner with a selection of images of a mark.
No response yet
FP36 — Recommendation 36
Recommendation: The SPSA should amend its procedures to include a review panel to consider any disagreement between examiners: (i) Where there is a disagreement between examiners the further investigation should be conducted by a panel the members of which should have …
No response yet
FP35 — Recommendation 35
Recommendation: Where an examiner has doubts, the comparison should be processed in accordance with the complex marks procedure recommended in recommendation 42.
No response yet
FP34 — Recommendation 34
Recommendation: The SPSA should review its Standard Operating Procedures relative to handling differences of opinion and provision should be made not only for cases of disagreement between examiners but also for instances where an examiner has some doubt about the finding …
No response yet
FP33 — Recommendation 33
Recommendation: Practitioners should conduct their individual ACE comparisons conscious of the fact that they are working in a field where there is no certainty and where there is scope for differences of opinion. When it comes to verification, examiners should be …
No response yet
FP32 — Recommendation 32
Recommendation: No discussions should take place between verifiers and preceding examiners until they have completed their work and reached their conclusions.
No response yet
FP31 — Recommendation 31
Recommendation: A verifier should not be someone who has been consulted for advice on the mark by the original examiner in the course of his or her examination.
No response yet
FP30 — Recommendation 30
Recommendation: A verifier should not be told of the preceding examiner’s reasoning before completing A-C-E. It follows that the verifier should not be shown, for example, a photograph or comparator screen marked up to show points of similarity.
No response yet
FP29 — Recommendation 29
Recommendation: All verifiers should be experienced examiners who have been given special training for this task, stressing the need for independence.
No response yet
FP28 — Recommendation 28
Recommendation: SPSA guidance to fingerprint examiners should emphasise the need at the evaluation stage to reflect on: tolerances, the quality of similarities, the nature of differences, any explanations for differences, the extent to which reverse reasoning may have been employed and …
No response yet
FP27 — Recommendation 27
Recommendation: Although evaluation may be taking place throughout the analysis/comparison part of the ACE-V process, emphasis should be placed on the need for a separate E - evaluation - stage.
No response yet
FP26 — Recommendation 26
Recommendation: Characteristics first found at the comparison stage should be included in any note of the examination. Less weight should be attached to such characteristics.
No response yet
FP25 — Recommendation 25
Recommendation: Fingerprint examiners should assess tolerances during the analysis stage so that when they come to evaluate whether the mark and print match they are conscious of the risk of applying excessive tolerances.
No response yet