Recommendations - Wiltshire Police, September 2021
Our learning was identified from an investigation relating to an application to Wiltshire Police for disclosure under the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme (DVDS), also known as “Clare’s Law”.
IOPC reference
Recommendations
The IOPC recommends that Wiltshire Police should introduce mandatory specialist training for staff delivering specialist functions within the Public Protection Department. Once completed, training records should be updated to record completion and the need and frequency of refresher should be agreed.
This follows an IOPC investigation where we found that the Domestic Abuse Specialist Researcher responsible for conducting research on applications made under the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme (DVDS) had not received specialist training in their role. The Domestic Abuse Specialist Researcher was previously the subject of a separate IOPC investigation which resulted in the force deciding to take management action including a training package for the Domestic Abuse Specialist Researcher, however this was deferred due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Our investigation found that by the time of our second investigation into the conduct of the Domestic Abuse Researcher, they still had not received any specialist training specific to their role, and had not received any training at all in two of the systems mentioned in their job description.
The College of Policing Authorised Professional Practice on Domestic abuse: Leadership, strategic oversight and management recommends that forces deliver specialist training packages to those carrying out specialist functions, and gives DVDS as a specific example. Staff who are ill-equipped to carry out their roles in public protection may increase the risk of harm to the public, which highlights the importance of ensuing that staff working in this area of policing are suitably trained.
Do you accept the recommendation?
Yes
Accepted action:
Wiltshire Police now have a programme of mentoring with a bespoke input from a specialist member of the team. This applies to all new joiners and is as a direct result of this IOPC investigation.
Since the date of this investigation, there has only been one new member of staff recruited into the unit, I can confirm they did go through the same input and mentoring as was provided to the subject of this complaint (post the complaint).
The DVDS process was relatively new at the time of the first complaint. It is now a well-established process and as per this recommendation, I am pleased to report Wiltshire Police has learnt from this and has suitable training in place.
The IOPC recommends that Wiltshire Police reviews its document management and record keeping practices in relation to the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme (DVDS) to ensure that all research undertaken is recorded and the rationale for any decisions made is recorded, retained and auditable.
This follows an IOPC investigation where a DVDS application was made by a member of the public and after the Domestic Abuse Specialist Researcher failed to identify any relevant domestic abuse history, and a decision was made on this research to make no disclosure under the scheme. The IOPC attempted to retrieve the Decision Maker Record document on which the Domestic Abuse Specialist Researcher and the DVDS Coordinator had recorded research and rationale in relation to a DVDS application. We found that the document could not be retrieved as it had been saved over when further research had been conducted at a later time, and therefore no full contemporaneous record of the original research and decision making could be obtained. It was noted during the investigation that Home Office Guidance on DVDS stipulates that decisions made as a result the scheme “must be recorded fully and in a format that would stand scrutiny of any formal review.”
Do you accept the recommendation?
Yes
Accepted action:
Wiltshire Police uses the Niche Record Management System (RMS) for recording all activity. I have been assured by the Public Protection Department that following each application a Niche RMS record is created. Niche RMS allows for ‘tasks’ to be created and assigned. This is done for all taskings in relation to DVDS, each task includes the action, justification and rationale.
I can confirm Niche RMS records are retained and are auditable.
The IOPC recommends that Wiltshire Police should ensure specialist staff within the Public Protection Department have the necessary licenses and permissions to access relevant computer systems and software to effectively carry out their functions.
This follows an IOPC investigation where we found that the Domestic Abuse Specialist Researcher responsible for conducting research on applications made under the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme (DVDS) did not have direct access to the Police National Database. Although a workaround was available as the staff member could have asked another member of staff to carry out checks using the Police National Database, the staff member appeared to not have had timely access to information held on police systems which would have given the Domestic Abuse Specialist Researcher greater capability to carry out their role more efficiently and effectively.
Do you accept the recommendation?
Yes
Accepted action:
Specialist staff in the Public Protection Department now have the necessary licences and permissions to undertake the DVDS process. Specifically, in relation to the Police National Database the subject of this complaint and DVDS administration staff all now have the licence and permissions for its use. Due to Niche RMS being now used as per the last recommendation, if higher level checks are required, a Niche RMS task is created and allocated. This works well and is fully auditable.