Agenda item

Report of the Commissioner of Police

The Committee received a report of the Commissioner of Police that updated Members on CoLP’s response to the national issue of disclosure of evidence.

The Commander of Operations and Security confirmed that there was an action plan in place.

A Member thanked CoLP for the report as an update had been requested.  They noted that the volume of digital evidence in particualr that required disclosure would place a very high manpower demand and so illustrated his appreciation of the significance of the task.  A Member asked whether it was a feasible option to permit the defence council to interrogate themselves with regards to disclosure, or whether the use of artificial intelligence would be possible.  The Commander of Operations and Security explained that two tests would determine acceptability of methods – the question of whether it would undermine prosecution, and whether it supports the defence.  She explained that artificial intelligence was a rapidly developing area, and this was certainly perceived as a potential option.

A Member noted that disclosure has been a long running issue within the criminal justice sector, and e-discovery, which was mentioned within the report, would cut down investigation times dramatically.  She noted that defence council have recently been engaged in strikes due to the significant time taken to carry out work relative to the pay, highlighting the seriousness of the issue.

RESOLVED – That the report be received.