Police Officer Being A Close Family Friend Of A Lying "victim"

[mhtu111]

Hi,

I am wondering if it is legal for a police officer who is a close family friend of a lying "Victim" to be taking a "victim" statement, writing his own statement, and giving indication of any risk factors to keep an individual in custody for longer...

Thanks in advance.

[Buenchico]

I doubt that it's actually 'illegal' but the officer would need to take care to ensure that he's complied with any relevant codes of conduct. In particular he should almost certainly inform a senior colleague of his relationship to the (alleged) victim.

However it's not unusual for a police officer to listen to a verbal statement from a victim (or alleged victim) and then to write a summary statement based upon what he's heard. As long as the person providing the statement is given the opportunity to review the summary, before then signing it as a true statement of the facts, it's all above board.

[Peter Pedant]

hmm I will have to think about that considering that on another thread the divine Naomi has called the law thread - all blah....( which it is - she specifically says - all and any posts may be untrue or rubbish of the most tiresome kind - including hers - which I would certainly agree with)

yeah n ot reporting would be legal on the facts unless it isnt ( that kind of reply for that kind of question).

moral/ethical and legal
professions may well have conflicts and the first thing is to declare them. doctors have all sorts of ethical duties some of which their regulator takes and interest in and some not. Also their employer.
fr'instance the GMC was ordered NOT to take an interest in a doctor who may or may not have been a naughty boy as a school governor. ( held clearly not to be a medical thing) - I had difficulty in persuading my employer not to be a debt collector for another employee. - clearly nothing to do with the employer. They said it was as the debt was contracted ... in work time. some other worker - I was just yapping on the debtor's behalf.

so I would have thought but I do not know the police man should have declared an interest.

If there is a case in court it can come out in cross examination....Stephen Lawrence the investigating police may or may not have been offered freebies at the disorderly house run by the eventual convicts father.

The fred west murder case may have been hindered because Mrs West was giving cut prices to the local police ..... (or not)

I had a complaint from client Miss X which was investigated VERY enthusiastically by my work colleague Mr Y - oh my god didnt he buzz around with his clip board yapping and clucking and wondering this and that. I DIDN'T say that Y was in a commercially sensitive contract with X - I just put in in the letter I sent to Y's line manager. [clearly I had to show it as true - I cdnt just say it] Y left within a year.

so I dont think there is a duty to declare an interest.
but failure to declare may be discussed in court
or be grounds for an appeal ( depending on the facts)

This is based on:
Lord 'The Hoff' Hoffman failed to declare his wifey was a director of Amnesty whilst he heard an appeal about Pinochet the infamous chilean torturer.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk/1999/jan/16/claredyer

The notoriously corrupt West Mids Serious Crime squad (Lord Dear fired them all at one point) - a judge held that membership did not brand a PC as a liar for the rest of his life - the defence had to show a link or a lie of some sort. (still didnt prevent 50 acquittals on appeal)

A police man in the wee island of Sint Kiltie MacBreed learned that a chinese shop owner was shot by a special fire arm. He realised that he was the only one on McBrrreed [closed by fog for 9 m of the year] that had one so his son must've done it. so he sudduv went home and cleaned it.... served 3 years for perjury.



so there may not be a duty to disclose
but depending on the facts it may be very troublesome for the prosecutor if it isnt