Source · IOPC Learning Case

Recommendation - Metropolitan Police, October 2020

Metropolitan Police Service Ref: 2020/134676 Recommended 22 Oct 2020 Response due 17 Dec 2020

Death and serious injury Welfare and vulnerable people

A victim of suspected sexual assault took her own life after the matter was investigated and a person was charged with the offences in February 2020. Following the charge, the Officer in the Case (OIC) offered support to the victim via email and telephone. It transpired that the OIC had a conversation with the victim the day before she took her own life. It became evident that the conversation was not documented. There is no indication of behaviour which would …

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Recommendations

1 total

Recommendation 1

The IOPC recommends that the Metropolitan Police Service create a policy for officers and staff to record ad hoc telephone conversations with victims of crime, post charge of a suspect. The policy should allow officers to re-open Crime Reporting Information System (CRIS) reports so that post charge updates can be recorded, particularly in respect of any concerns about the welfare of a vulnerable victim of crime, and can be viewed and considered by other officers if necessary. Once this policy is in place, all relevant officers/staff should be made aware of the contents of the policy and the implications for their day-to-day roles. This issue has arisen following a review of a Death or Serious Injury matter, where a victim of a sexual assault sadly took her own life the day after a conversation with the Officer in the Case (OIC) about an upcoming court case. Although the OIC could not have foreseen that the subject would take her own life, it would have been beneficial for the conversation to have been recorded for auditable purposes and for the information of any other officers, who may have been required to offer support or advice to the victim.

Addressed to: Metropolitan Police Service

Linked bodies: Metropolitan Police Service

Not accepted

Force response

Do you accept the recommendation? No The current MPS Victims’ Code Of Practice Policy (VCOP) already informs officers and staff to record communication with victims of crime, post charge of a suspect. The most pertinent sections relating to victim contact are contained in the excerpt from this policy below ...Victim assessment / care at post charge stage checklist All actions are mandatory. Ongoing Victim Contact at Post Charge Stage… Update CRIS with the details of the communication, i.e. what was discussed and agreed. Retain overall responsibility for ongoing victim contact. The Witness Care Unit will support this function, however the Investigating Officer (IO)/Case Officer must retain overall responsibility for ongoing contact. Ongoing Needs Assessment at Post Charge Stage Re-assess the victim’s needs upon each communication. They may change due to the victim themselves or by another situation which may require the assessment being enhanced Remind the victim of the availability of Victim Support Services and refer them to the Victim Care Card in which they can find the contact details of support services. Update the CRIS system in the Details of the Investigation (DETS) and VCOP screens after you have made contact with the victim and record the summary of the conversation, especially any pertinent changes. In terms of officers being made aware of the content of this policy and the implications, an Operational Notice was published on the MPS intranet site on 16th December 2020 reminding officers of their specific duty of care, the updates to CRIS following ad hoc contact and their continued assessment of the victim throughout the investigation, judicial proceeding and post trial.