Police Procedure Questions
Q. Why have the police not contacted me since I made my report?
A: During the investigation, police will decide what information they need to follow up on to help with their investigation. In some cases, they may decide that they do not need to speak to you again. Should the police not contact you or not ask you to make a statement, it does not mean that they do not value your information. If your information does not help to solve that particular crime, the police can use the information to try to find patterns in where and how crime is being committed in a certain area. In some cases what you tell the police may also help them confirm what they already suspect, or it may provide a new line of investigation.
Q. I have spoken to the police and made a report, is that the same as making a statement?
A: Making a report to the police is not the same as making a statement. A statement is written or video evidence that may be used in court.
Q. Where will the statement be taken?
A: If you give a written statement, the police will normally ask to come to your home or ask you to visit the police station, but will try to meet your needs. If your statement is to be video-recorded, you will be asked to go to a specially equipped video suite, which is situated in certain police stations.
Q10. What type of information will I need to give in my statement?
A: When making a statement, you should tell the police as much information about the incident as you can, to help them to investigate the crime and to find other evidence. This includes:
- Descriptions or names of anyone involved;
- Whether anyone was injured;
- Descriptions or names of any other witnesses;
- The registration number of any vehicles that were at the place where and when the crime happened. Even if they were not involved in the incident, the driver may have seen something;
- Descriptions, identifying marks or serial numbers of any stolen or damaged property.
Q. What other evidence might the police need?
A: Sometimes the police will need to take samples from where the crime took place, for example they may need to take photographs or fingIf the police haerprints. The procedures may vary depending on the type and severity of the crime. This will usually be done by a specially trained Crime Scene Investigator.
Q. Might I have to attend an identity parade?
A: If the police have a suspect for an offence and the identity of that person is in dispute, they may wish to carry out an identity parade. In this case, you will be asked to pick out the person who you think committed the alleged offence. In order to carry out the identification parade police use a process known as 'Video Identification Parade Electronic Recording - commonly known as 'VIPER'. This means that the identification parade is prepared in the form of a DVD disc and will be shown to you by the police officer on a laptop or computer. The advantage of this electronic process is that you can view the parade in places other than the police station, such as at home, should you prefer.
Q. How long will the police investigation take?
A: A police investigation can take several months to complete and will carry on as long as the police think there is a prospect of progressing the case. If the police identify a suspect, they will put together the evidence against them. If the police think they have sufficient evidence, they will charge or report the person for prosecution.
Q. When could I be considered as being 'a witness'?
A: In most cases, you will be considered 'a witness' and may have to give evidence in court, if you know something about a particular crime, incident or dispute, for example because you saw it happen or if you are the victim of the crime. In some cases, however, you might be asked to go to court to be a 'character witness' if you know one of the people involved in the case. You will be asked to answer questions about, for example, how well you know the person and whether he or she is trustworthy. Those with specialist knowledge of a subject may also be asked to give evidence, such as medical practitioners. They are known as 'expert witnesses'.