IOPC learning recommendation - response to victim of crime contact support- Ix249420

In June 2019, a young female was the victim of a sexual assault at her college and a suspect was charged with the offence in February 2020. Sadly the victim took her own life in March 2020. Investigations showed that the young female had spoken with the investigating officer the day prior to her death stating that she felt low. The investigating officer provided details of counsellors and offered to refer the young female to other agencies, however this support was declined and the young female said she would speak with family members. The investigating officer provided her with reassurance and details of the support that was available regarding the upcoming court case. These conversations between the officer and the young female were not recorded on the crime report or elsewhere.

The IOPC reviewed the investigation and provided the MPS with the following learning recommendation:

Recommendation

The IOPC recommends that the MPS 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.

MPS Response

The current MPS Victims’ Code Of Practice Policy 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.
• 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 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 16 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.