Recommendation - Sussex Police, February 2021
This recommendation resulted from an IOPC investigation that focused on the disclosure of evidence from a Sussex police officer before and during a criminal trial in 2019.
IOPC reference
Recommendations
The IOPC recommends that Sussex Police ensures formal guidance and policies are in place in relation to the storage of both physical and electronic investigative material obtained during an investigation, if it is not already, ensuring a consistent approach which is compliant with disclosure legislation. Following this, Sussex Police should provide updated communications and training to all Sussex Police officers and staff working on criminal investigations to ensure they are aware of the policies and guidance in place.
The recommendation follows an IOPC investigation into the disclosure of a Sussex Police officer leading up to and during a criminal trial. One of the contributing factors to the issues with disclosure which were examined during this investigation appears to have been the manner in which material was recorded and stored after it had been obtained by the Sussex Police officers and staff members who were working on the case. Evidential material did not appear to have been exhibited upon collection and its existence does not appear to have been logged on any systems or in any hand-written records. In addition, many officers who were spoken to as part of the IOPC investigation referred to relying on ‘common practice’ when making decisions around the storage and recording of physical and electronic material, rather than any actual training, policy or guidance they have had in this area and there was a lack of consensus among officer and staff around how investigative material should be handled after it has been obtained.
Do you accept the recommendation?
Yes
Accepted action:
The learning has been accepted and mechanisms are already in place to address this.
Sussex Police has completed this action in three ways.
- The team the officer was working in has had their practices reviewed and have been given specific guidance around the storage of both physical and electronics during the investigation. No property will be stored within the office.
- Since this incident there has been a change in our force processes and all property is recorded on Niche. A new Sussex and Surrey property policy has been created and is going through the consultation before being formally adopted.
- CCTV is now recorded on NICE Investigate – a dedicated system for storing and sharing video. All officers are aware and are using the system.