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SECTION II.
INVESTIGATION OF CRIME AND CRIMINAL PROCEEDINGS.
Use of photographs in tracing or identifying criminals.
1. Photographs afford a ready and convenient means of finding the whereabouts of a man whose arrest is desired. They can easily be distributed amongst police forces with a request that observation should be kept for the person whose photograph is supplied; they can also be shown with advantage to trustworthy persons in the neighbour- hood in which the criminal is believed to be, with a view to ascertaining whether he has been seen there. In such cases the photograph should, of course, be accompanied by a personal description.
2. Photographs can also be used for finding the suspected perpetrator of a crime, but great care should be taken in using them for this purpose. It is important to guard against a witness being led to identify the suspected person as the culprit through having been previously shown the photograph of the suspect; and even where a mistaken identifica- tion does not result, the fact that a witness has been shown a photography of the accused before his ability to identify him has been properly tested at an identification parade" will considerably detract from the value of his evidence. Photographs of suspects should, therefore, never be shown to witnesses for the purpose of identification if circum- stances allow of a personal identification.
3. Should it be necessary to show a witness a photograph, it should be shown among a number of other photographs having as close resemblance to it as possible, and the witness should be left to make a selection without help and without opportunity of consulting other witnesses.
4. Care should be taken that photographs of persons who have been photographed in prison should be shown in such a way as to prevent the witnesses from seeing that the persons represented were prisoners. Photographs of prisoners or former prisoners are furnished by the Prison authorities to the Police, for the purpose of identification, only on the understanding that they will be used in this way.
Identification Parades.
5. In arranging for a personal identification, every precaution should be taken (a) to exclude any suspicion of unfairness or risk of erroneous identification through the witnesses' attention being directed to the suspected person in particular instead of indifferently to all the persons paraded, and (b) to make sure that the witnesses' ability to recognise the accused has been fairly and adequately tested.
6. It is desirable, therefore, that :--
(i) The arrangements for an identification parade" should be made by an officer other than the officer in charge of the case against the prisoner. There is no objection, however, to the officer in charge of the case being present.
(ii) The witnesses should be prevented from seeing the prisoner before he is paraded with other persons and have no assistance from photographs or descriptions.
(iii) The accused should be placed among persons who are as far as possible of the same age, height, general appearance and position in life.
(iv) The accused should be allowed to select his own position in the line, and should be expressly asked if he has any objection to the persons present with him or the arrange- ments made. If he desires to have his solicitor or a friend present at the identification, this should be allowed.
(v) The witnesses should be introduced one by one and on leaving should not be allowed to communicate with witnesses still waiting to see the persons paraded, and that the accused should be allowed, if he so desires, on being informed of his right, to change his position after each witness has left.
(vi) All unauthorised persons should be strictly excluded from the place where the "identification parade" is held.
(vii) Every circumstance connected with the identification should be carefully recorded by the officer conducting it, whether the accused or any other person is identified or not.
It may sometimes happen that a witness desires to see the prisoner with his hat on or with his hat off, and there is no objec- tion to all the persons paraded being thereupon asked to wear or remove their hats. Sometimes again there may be something peculiar in the prisoner's gait or tone of voice; and if the witness desires to see the prisoner walk or to hear him speak, there is no objection to the persons paraded being asked to walk individually or to speak. When any such request is made by a witness, the incident should be recorded.
Aid of New Scotland Yard.
The
7. Detective officers of special skill and experience, who would ordinarily be employed in investigating crimes in the Metropolitan Police District, are available to assist other forces in the investigation of serious crime, when application is made for their services. Secretary of State believes that in certain cases--more particularly cases of murder when the perpetrator of the murder is unknown-- Chief Constables will find it of advantage to apply at once for such assistance.
8. When these officers are sent to assist a local force, they remain under the direct control of the Commissioner of Police, but they carry out the investigations in close co-operation with the Chief Constable of the local force and his officers, and supply the Chief Constable with reports of its progress and results. It is essential that they should receive the fullest co-operation and assistance from the local Police;
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