Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what process is in place for individual constituents to bring alleged cases of war crimes to the attention of the war crimes unit and the relevant authorities.

The investigation and prosecution of individuals suspected of war crimes is an operational matter for the police. Any decision to investigate or prosecute is the responsibility of the police in consultation with Crown Prosecution Service. In particular, the War Crimes Team of the Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command (SO15) has national responsibility within England and Wales for the investigation of such offences, including genocide, crimes against humanity and torture; it is their responsibility, accordingly, to determine the recourses necessary to carry out this function.

Referrals from the public can be made directly to the War Crimes Team at the following email address:

- SO15Mailbox.WarCrimesunit@met.pnn.police.uk

Guidelines on this referral process can be found on the Crown Prosecution Service’s website:

- https://www.cps.gov.uk/publications/agencies/war_crimes.html

As policing is a devolved matter in Scotland and Northern Ireland, the responsibility for investigations into alleged war crime offences, and the referral system, is an operational matter for Police Scotland and the Police Service of Northern Ireland, respectively.