17 May 2012
An approved judgment has been made today in relation to the use of production orders by Essex police in the case of the Dale Farm evictions in October 2011
Chief Constable Andy Trotter, who leads for ACPO on media issues said:
“This judgment brings clarity to this area of law and will assist police forces and the media to deal with similar matters in the future.
"While police forces have the duty to pursue all lines of enquiry when investigating crimes; any future application for the production of unused material must have specific and clear evidence and grounds for that application to succeed.
“The media plays a vital role in helping the police communicate with the public in the fight against crime, and this judgment assists the police and the media with what had become a contentious issue between them.”
A link to the judgement can be found at:
http://www.judiciary.gov.uk/Resources/JCO/Documents/Judgments/bskyb-others-judgment-17052012.pdf
For more information please contact:
ACPO Press Office
Association of Chief Police Officers
e: press.office@acpo.pnn.police.uk
Communications office
By phone: 0800 538 5058
By email: press.office@npcc.police.uk