ACPO comment on HMIC review of intelligence material re Jimmy Savile

ACPO lead on intelligence Chief Constable Mike Barton said:

“The HMIC report published today recognises that there has been improvements in the police response to child abuse and progress more generally in the service’s handling of intelligence material. However, there are clearly areas that the service needs to improve upon.

“ACPO last year commissioned a report into the effectiveness of the Police National Database as part of the wider investigation into historic abuse allegations against Jimmy Savile.

“What must be stressed is that PND is a relatively new system and a huge improvement on what was in place before. We have a national intelligence system which is capable of being interrogated by any trained officer across the UK, to identify suspects, offenders and patterns of behaviour.

“However, our review has highlighted that the PND currently has limitations and although many of them are capable of being addressed, this will have to be over a period of time than immediately and will require more money.

“It must also be stressed that PND is not the sole intelligence tool available to the police. When used alongside other systems it is capable of providing a clearer picture of someone’s pattern of behaviour which can be tackled effectively.

“Ensuring our systems are robust and that information is handled effectively are key to ensuring we are doing all we can to protect the public from those who pose harm. ACPO and the College of Policing will work with the Home Office around any proposed review of Management of Police Information (MOPI) code and associated guidance.

“As the service has stated before - the lessons of the Savile disclosures reinforce the importance of the work the police service has done to increase our focus on supporting victims and survivors of sexual offences, whether they are children or adults. There remains more to do, to reduce reliance on victims and take a proactive approach to pursuing offenders and ACPO and the DPP last week announced measures for further joint working to improve justice in this area.

“It takes great courage to report abuse. There are still victims and survivors out there who haven’t disclosed to anyone and we encourage them to use those help lines available or report to their local police force.”

ENDS

Background:

The Police National Database (PND) was set up following the Bichard Report into deaths of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in Soham and is designed to be the primary tool for carrying intelligence sources from across different forces.

Phase one of PND was launched in June 2011.

The PND was designed to hold up to 250 million records, but there are now in excess of 1.8 billion, so this means any search will now return more options for further research.

A report into its effectiveness was commissioned by Durham Chief Constable Mike Barton in his capacity as intelligence lead for the Association of Chief Police Officers, and DCC Peter Davies of CEOP (Child Exploitation Online Protection) who is also the lead for child protection for ACPO. The review resulted in a series of recommendations designed to strengthen the PND, through improved functionality, training and awareness.

The CPS and ACPO last week announced a series of improvements in the investigation of sexual offences including:

• A radical clearing of the decks in relation to policy and guidance. All existing policy will be decommissioned, with one overarching and agreed approach to investigation and prosecution of sexual offences to be applicable in all police forces and agreed by the CPS. This will be supported by the College of Policing. The CPS will also draft new guidance to ensure consistent best practice, which will be open to public consultation.

• Training will ensure there is no gap between policy and practice. The training will be hands on and provide practical advice to police and prosecutors about when a complainant can and should be told about other complaints, among other things.

• Development of a national scoping panel, which will review complaints made in the past which were not pursued by police and prosecutors, if requested.

For more information please contact:

ACPO Press Office
Association of Chief Police Officers
e: press.office@acpo.pnn.police.uk