College opens consultation on improvements to policing guidance to support effective investigations
The College of Policing is seeking feedback on updated guidance on investigating crimes and incidents.
The changes affect the authorised professional practice (APP) on the ‘investigation process’ and ‘managing effective investigations’.
The college says the updated APP supports police officers and staff to “deliver consistently better investigations that have the greatest chance of a positive outcome for the victim and suspect”.
It added: “Crime is continuing to become more complex. It is essential that those who investigate it do so in a consistent, fair and impartial manner. That’s why we’re making a series of improvements to our guidance on evidence and investigations.
“These APP updates are underpinned by a new set of guidelines for effective investigations, which we consulted on in summer 2022.
“The effective investigations guidelines demonstrate how everyone in policing can play a significant role in delivering an effective investigation and are due to be published in 2023.”
A consultation on the new guidance is now open and closes on Thursday, February 2, 2023.
The college said it is inviting feedback from members of the public and from all ranks, grades and roles across policing.
The two consultation documents – ‘Investigation process’ and ‘Managing effective investigations’ – together with an online questionnaire, can be found at https://www.college.police.uk/article/investigations-app-consultation