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| Police to be told not to confer before writing up notes | Police to be told not to confer before writing up notes |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Police officers in England and Wales are to be instructed not to confer before writing up their notes of serious incidents they are involved in. | Police officers in England and Wales are to be instructed not to confer before writing up their notes of serious incidents they are involved in. |
| Guidance will be issued to forces once it has been approved by the home secretary. | Guidance will be issued to forces once it has been approved by the home secretary. |
| At present, officers can pool their recollections before making individual statements. | At present, officers can pool their recollections before making individual statements. |
| The draft guidance says conferring "has the potential to undermine public confidence". | The draft guidance says conferring "has the potential to undermine public confidence". |
| In January, the BBC learned that the Independent Police Complaints Commission was preparing the new guidance which will apply to incidents in which someone dies or is seriously injured. | In January, the BBC learned that the Independent Police Complaints Commission was preparing the new guidance which will apply to incidents in which someone dies or is seriously injured. |
| Now published in draft, it tells forces that police witnesses should be instructed not to speak, or otherwise communicate, about the incident in question. | Now published in draft, it tells forces that police witnesses should be instructed not to speak, or otherwise communicate, about the incident in question. |
| They should be kept separate until after their detailed individual factual accounts have been taken, it says. | They should be kept separate until after their detailed individual factual accounts have been taken, it says. |
| "Any conferring between witnesses has the potential to undermine the integrity of their evidence, and to damage public confidence in the investigation," it continues. | "Any conferring between witnesses has the potential to undermine the integrity of their evidence, and to damage public confidence in the investigation," it continues. |
| "As a result, non-police witnesses are routinely warned not to discuss the incident in question either before or after they have given their accounts. | "As a result, non-police witnesses are routinely warned not to discuss the incident in question either before or after they have given their accounts. |
| "The same should apply to policing witnesses." | "The same should apply to policing witnesses." |
| The guidance adds that if it is necessary for policing witnesses to discuss an incident "to avert a real and immediate risk to life", then "the extent to which such discussion has taken place, the justification for doing so and the content of that conversation, must be recorded as soon as possible". | The guidance adds that if it is necessary for policing witnesses to discuss an incident "to avert a real and immediate risk to life", then "the extent to which such discussion has taken place, the justification for doing so and the content of that conversation, must be recorded as soon as possible". |
| The BBC's home affairs correspondent Danny Shaw said the new rules would represent a significant departure from current practice. | The BBC's home affairs correspondent Danny Shaw said the new rules would represent a significant departure from current practice. |
| A public consultation on the new guidance will run until 27 May. | A public consultation on the new guidance will run until 27 May. |