NCJ Number
80052
Date Published
1979
Length
185 pages
Annotation
A working committee of the Swedish Ministry of Justice examines the present criminal investigation methods used in police departments across the country and outlines recommendations for more effective and efficient procedures, emphasizing greater cooperation among regional, local, and national police.
Abstract
The committee reviewed incoming police calls and reports, documentation and dispatching procedures, and other preliminary investigation steps. Searching and evidence gathering was considered, as was the interaction between the police and the prosecution during the investigation. The arrest and charging process was covered and problems entailed in handling information and maintaining secrecy were taken up. The defense role during the investigation was also investigated by the committee. Overall, committee recommendations emphasized a need for greater cooperation among police on the national, regional, and local level. They also called for written standards and role definitions of the investigation process to be drawn up at the national level with input from regional police chiefs. Recommended were overall supervision of ongoing investigations at the regional level, better police planning at the local level, and statistical reporting of all crimes that come to the knowledge of police regardless of the decision to arrest. The committee urges better cooperation between police and prosecutors during investigations, with the prosecutor acting as an advisor. The committee also suggests that a brochure be drawn up to advise defendants of their rights at arrest and during the investigation. Several related papers and other materials are appended, including a 1970 guideline from the National Association of Police on investigation of crimes by local patrol police and a second guideline on the responsibilities of guard police. A table showing police district jurisdiction is presented, as are materials from the Jonkoping prosecuting authority delineating roles and responsibilities of prosecutors during an investigation.