Orders of the Day — Police and Criminal Evidence Bill

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 5:31 pm on 30 November 1982.

Alert me about debates like this

Photo of Mr Chris Price Mr Chris Price , Lewisham West 5:31, 30 November 1982

I apologise to my hon. Friend for treating with levity a matter about which I feel strongly. If I am deadly serious about everything that I say in the House it produces a certain flatness.

The instruction book gives guidance on things to say such as "Never say `Hello'." It instructs the Metropolitan Police never to use a slang expression, and that when cycling and saluting an officer should not let go of the handlebars when turning the head and shoulders towards the officer being saluted. It gives an exact description of women's boots which can either be made of leather or plastic that looks like leather. It contains a range of similar matters to which I shall not refer, although I do not see why they should not go into the Library.

Chapter 6, paragraph 9, is an example of material that should be available in court to defendants against whom the police are making allegations. It deals with police notebooks and says: Notes must be made at the time of the occurrence or as soon after as practicable —that is fair enough.

If they appear insufficient, the officer may make a fuller entry in continuation as soon as possible after the occurrence. —that is all right.

Where two or more officers are present at an occurrence, the details of which can be easily remembered, notes should where practicable be written by each officer separately and independently and without consultation. When, however, in more complex or lengthy cases two or more officers witness the same incident or are present at the same interview or interrogation, there is no objection to these officers conferring together when proparing their notes so that the notes may be as full and comprehensible as possible. I do not object to such instructions being in that form, but I feel strongly we should know about them.

If the adversary system between the police and the defendant is to take place, with the defendant having one arm tied behind his back by not knowing the instructions that the police should follow, we should put the book in the Library. The Library has all types of material and I am sure that the book will get there before long.