Recommendation - Police Federation of England and Wales
We identified organisational learning after Greater Manchester Police did not follow Authorised Professional Practice guidance during post incident procedures in a death or serious injury investigation. The investigation related to the death of a woman who died during a police pursuit.
IOPC reference
Recommendations
The IOPC recommends that the Police Federation of England and Wales should take steps to remind their Federation Representatives to adhere to the College of Policing’s Authorised Professional Practice (APP) guidance and the IOPC’s ‘Statutory guidance to the police force on achieving best evidence in death and serious injury matters’ when supporting officers through the Post Incident Procedures (PIP). This includes personal initial accounts and stage 4 detailed accounts providing sufficient information, and being provided on a formal document, headed with the appropriate statutory declaration.
This recommendation has arisen as a result of Greater Manchester Police (GMP) not following APP guidance during post incident procedures in a death or serious injury investigation. The investigation related to the death of a female who died during a police pursuit.
The accounts at both stage 3 and stage 4 were also not provided on documents which included the appropriate statutory declaration. Both the APP and the IOPC’s statutory guidance state that accounts should be provided on a formal document, headed with the appropriate statutory declaration, in accordance with section 9 of the Criminal Justice Act 1967, and Part 16 of the Criminal Procedure Rules 2015. The APP suggests using an MG11 or equivalent.
It was found during the investigation that the Federation Representative actively encouraged the KPWs not to adhere to APP in respect of the MG11s and that the accounts were not checked by the Post Incident Manager before they were submitted to the IOPC. APP guidance states that both Stage 3 and Stage 4 accounts are disclosable in any subsequent legal, conduct or coronial proceedings so should therefore be recorded on a formal document.
Two similar issues have since arisen on investigations carried out by the IOPC involving officers from GMP. This learning recommendation has now been made due to the same issue arising again.
Accepted
The Police Federation of England and Wales will remind its qualified PIP Federation Representatives that they should continue to follow the processes mandated by Post Incident Procedures. This includes the form and content of accounts provided at different stages. These procedures are subject to change. Accordingly, what is required in terms of declarations will be a matter of legal advice in any specific PIP.