Latest changes to APP

CCTV was contained within Passive data generators. This information has been updated to reflect legislative changes and presented in its own section (still subsumed under investigative strategies) to make it more easily accessible.

Removed the section on CCTV. Due to the introduction of the Forensic Science Regulator Code of Practice. The development and implementation of the Code is required under section 2 of The Forensic Science Regulator Act 2021. The Code came into force on 2 October 2023. With the Code already being in place there is an imperative to bring the APP in line with the current obligations on forces/practitioners. As such, this section has been updated and moved into its own sub-section beneath passive data generators so that it is easier to find and use for practitioners.

Following reference added: 

• City of London Police (2024) Election crime video forces. 

  The following link was included - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nzw5Vs9keMY

Arrested persons has changed to detained persons 

Paragraph added to the 'Detained persons' section.

Two new subsections added to investigative process.

1. Adding a subsection called Allocation, after crime and incident recording, before initial engagement. The section is five paragraphs and a reference. It covers how a force can decide which person/team investigates a crime.

    

2. Adding a subsection after jurisdiction and ownership but before Golden Hour - called Linked series crimes. It is four paragraphs in length. It advises officers and staff not to neglect less serious offences when thinking about series crimes and advises on communication across forces, including investigative strategy development and assignment. 

Interview plan has amendment to one bullet; Multiple interviewers has changes to one word; Preparation has changes to one paragraph and deletion of a link; Plan and prepare the pre-interview briefing has changes to one sentence and deletion of a link; Pre-interview briefing strategy has changes to four sentences; Downstream monitoring changes link to Home Office outdated circular to PACE Code E which replaces it; Starting an interview has deletions to four points; Recording the interview has wording change to the first paragraph.

Fixed a typo and broken link to CIAPOAR

Minor wording change. Welsh forces via the NPCC Lead on Missing Persons raised the need to change a statement about convening a multi-agency strategy meeting for a missing child. Current: Where appropriate, a multi-agency meeting is convened after a child has been missing from home or care for more than seven days, or has been missing on more than three occasions in a 12-month period (this criteria does not apply in England).

Amended: - Where appropriate, a multi-agency strategy meeting is convened to consider the evidence for any additional safeguarding issues.

12.4.24 - the following references have been amended:

• two NPCC pre election references (2019 and 2020) replaced with ‘NPCC (2024) Pre-election Guidance’ 
• reference to the 'joint guidance for candidates in elections' replaced with the reference to 'Responding to intimidating behaviour in elections and public office: a CPS guide' 
• reference and link to ‘When it goes too far’ with reference to ‘Security guidance relevant to candidates and campaigners’  

Removed 'Firearms licensing' from list of 'Thematic areas', as this now sits in its own area of APP (/app/firearms-licensing).