Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of police practice regarding affording priests and religious ministers access to the (1) dead, or (2) dying, at the scene of a crime.

The College of Policing, in their role as the professional body for policing, have produced Authorised Professional Practice (APP) in relation to the management of crime scenes.

Their APP includes guidance on the preservation and security of a scene in order to maintain the integrity and provenance of any material which may be recovered from it. It sets out that investigators should be mindful of the impact that securing and managing a scene can have on a community. However, decisions taken in relation to the management of a crime scene are an operational matter for the Force responding to the incident. In making decisions, we would expect officers to consider the APP and use their professional judgement based on the specific circumstances and demands of the investigation.

The College of Policing have confirmed that while there are no plans at present to amend or provide additional guidance in relation to this area unless the law changes, they would welcome further engagement with faith, community leaders or others who have concerns about the current APP to understand their views and consider possible next steps. They can be contacted via stakeholders@college.police.uk.