Consultation with colleagues, including the line manager, can provide an opportunity to:
In addition, professional oversight of a specialist’s work by his/her line manager is useful in establishing a benchmark for quality and accuracy & can be done without compromising personal authorship.
Specialists should consider carefully in advance with whom you wish to consult and the need for consultation during the course of a criminal investigation.
Caution should be exercised if commenting on a report during legal proceedings unless instructed to do so by those involved so as to avoid suggestions of improper influence or that your views are not your own. Any comments made are likely to be disclosable.
If a specialist changes his/her evidence as a result of consultations, then this might undermine his/her credibility unless the reason is clear. As a result discussions should be recorded, as they are clearly relevant to the investigation.
Any discussions that result in the acquisition of additional information must be recorded.
Finally, specialists may wish to consult colleagues after any criminal proceedings have been discharged.
This may provide a useful opportunity to cover all aspects of the work associated with a particular investigation and to disseminate any lessons learnt from the process.
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