Evidence Storage (646A/22)
Request
- What is the policy of the WMP in maintaining crucial evidence, notes, communications and emails related to complex criminal investigations? For example, what evidence is stored, where and how is it stored and how long it is kept for?
- What is the policy of the WMP with regard to keeping and maintaining investigation logs related to complex criminal investigations? For example, how and where is the investigation log kept, what methods are employed, what information is recorded and how long is the log stored for?
- Are the WMP required to follow the directions laid down by any independent external regulator or organisation who oversees police complaints and who is that?
Response
Please find attached our response.
Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from a number of data sources used by forces for police purposes. The detail collected to respond specifically to your request is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when interpreting those data.
The figures provided therefore are our best interpretation of relevance of data to your request, but you should be aware that the collation of figures for ad hoc requests may have limitations and this should be taken into account when those data are used.
If you decide to write an article / use the enclosed data we would ask you to take into consideration the factors highlighted in this document so as to not mislead members of the public or official bodies, or misrepresent the relevance of the whole or any part of this disclosed material.