Henrirques report enquiry
Freedom of information request reference no: 01.FOI.23.032783
I note you seek access to the following information:
2. Could you please supply me with a copy of the Met Police policy document for handling such instances. E.g there will be different interpretations on what constitutes exceptional circumstances or reasonable grounds.
Decision
I have today decided to disclose the located information to you in full.
Please find below information pursuant to your request above.
False reports of crime
Introduction
18.1.1 False reports of crime are made from time to time and should not be regarded as a remote possibility. There are many reasons as to why they are made. They may be malicious, mistaken, designed to support others, financially motivated or inexplicable. When considering non-recent allegations, especially against prominent people, investigators should give full consideration to all background information.
18.1.2 When it comes to recording crime, this must be done in accordance with the National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS) – please see Crime Recording & Crime Outcomes policy for further instruction as to how and when we record crime.
18.1.3 The process in which a crime is assessed and passed for further investigation is contained within the Crime Assessment Principles guidance. Once this assessment is made, the role of the investigator is to gather all relevant evidence which either proves or disproves a person’s involvement in the alleged offence.
18.1.4 If the case alleged is proved to be false, i.e. additional verifiable information that determines that no victim based notifiable crime has been committed, the report will be cancelled under the Home Office Counting Rules (HOCR).
18.1.5 Where the person, who was originally shown as the victim of the cancelled notifiable crime, as mentioned at 18.1.4, is believed to have committed a notifiable state-based crime, i.e. fraud, causing a wasteful employment of the police or, in more serious cases, perverting the course of justice, then an additional crime report must be recorded in relation to that offence.
18.1.6 A person who was originally shown as the suspect of the cancelled notifiable crime, (as mentioned above) shall be recorded as a witness in the additional crime report as mentioned in
18.1.5 but will be treated as a victim of crime in these circumstances. This is due to the fact that they were falsely reported as a suspect in a case. As such, they and their family will now be afforded the same service as victims of crime and should be offered support and liaison compatible with the gravity of the allegations made against them. The support to the victim and their families must be recorded in the additional crime report CRIS, even though it is regarded as a ‘victimless’ or state based crime. The same requirement for informing victims within certain timescales, as per the VCOP policy, must be complied with should the victim request this service.
18.1.7 Below are some examples of false reports and subsequent action against that could be taken against the complainant. In all cases where the complainant has shown to have falsely reported crime, you must seek the advice of a dedicated decision maker and/or the CPS before taking further action.
(i) A person reports that he has been blackmailed. The crime is recorded and investigated, but the complaint is shown to be false. The complainant is prosecuted for wasting police time.
(ii) A burglary is reported and recorded, but the subsequent investigation reveals that the report was false and a fraudulent insurance claim has been made. The complainant is investigated by Action Fraud and/or wasting police time and prosecuted.
(iii) A major investigation into a serious sexual assault is made, but is subsequently found to have be a false allegation. However, the falsely accused person were charged and remanded into custody or tried, convicted and/or sentenced and, furthermore, they suffered major damage to their reputation. The complainant is prosecuted for perverting the course of justice.