UNITED KINGDOM
Daily Mail
By Martin Beckford for The Mail on Sunday
22 April 2018
Police are to drop their controversial policy of automatically believing anyone who reports a crime, it can be revealed.
A top-level report obtained by The Mail on Sunday says official guidance should be changed to tell detectives they must listen to victims and take them seriously – but not automatically assume they are telling the truth.
The dramatic move follows a series of flawed inquiries based on false allegations that left dozens of innocent people’s lives and reputations destroyed, including high-profile figures such as pop legend Sir Cliff Richard and DJ Paul Gambaccini.
In the most notorious case, Scotland Yard wrongly described as ‘credible and true’ a fantasist’s lurid claims of a VIP sex abuse ring in Westminster involving former Home Secretary Lord Brittan, war hero Lord Bramall and ex-Tory MP Harvey Proctor.
The U-turn has been drawn up by the College of Policing, which sets national standards, and after being considered by chief constables last week it will be sent to Home Office Ministers to become official policy.
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