POL00118105
POL00118105
Security Operations Team
SUBJECT: Summarising of Tape Recorded Interviews
The purpose of this circular is to advise Investigators to changes in the
requirements for summarising taped recorded interviews. As a result of
discussions with Legal Services, it has been agreed that there is no longer a
requirement to prepare, as previously required as part of the summary, a
verbatim preamble from start of interview up to the stage that a Post Office®
friend is offered.
Accordingly, from the date of this circular it will be
acceptable to prepare an abridged preamble along the lines of the following:
Record of Tape
Recorded Interview
Person Interviewed
Mrs Anne SMITH (AS)
Place of Interview Quids Inn Post Office®
43 Eccleston Road
Wigan
WN4 0SS
Date of Interview 01% July 2***
Time commenced 1026
Duration of inter
view thr 40mins
Interviewing Officer(s) David JONES (DJ)
Other persons present
Exhibit No:
Number of pages:
Signature of
interviewing officer
Time concluded 12.33
Tape reference no 053436, 053437 &
053438
Graham Peters (GP)
Tape Person
counter speaking Text
times
0010 Usual introductions made, caution administered and explained.
Forms GS001 & GS003 completed. AS declines the presence of a
Post Office® friend or solicitor.
The exception to this abridged style will be summaries prepared by new
recruits, or Investigators considered to require development to whom the
additional check-step of a verbatim preamble is considered necessary by the
Investigation Team Leader. Such requirements will be indicated by your
Team Leader.
Irrespective of the style of preamble, then the summary itself must cover:
e Verbatim, all admissions relating to the offence or offences under
investigation and the questions and answers leading up to them along with
POL00118105
POL00118105
Security Operations Team
the tape counter time(s). These will include ambiguous admissions (e.g.
one of the main elements of the offence may be missing - “I borrowed the
money but would have put it back”) and qualified admissions (e.g. raising a
potential defence - “I borrowed the money as my Retail Line Manager said
I could”).
e When any admission is made to an offence which is not the immediate
subject of investigation but which might be taken into consideration, the
tape counter time(s) should be noted and a brief description given in the
record of interview. The summary should contain sufficient information to
enable Legal Services to formulate charges that adequately reflect the
gravity of the offender’s conduct and how the case might best be presented
in court.
e Main salient points must be recorded verbatim. These will include
statements or questions about intent, dishonesty or possible defence, as
well as matters such as knowledge of key facts, any description of
duties/procedures or assertion that others were involved.
e The issue of whether a prosecution will follow should not normally be
discussed in the context of an interview but, if it is, it must be recorded
verbatim.
It is essential that all legal and business formalities remain adhered to and
that the full explanation of the caution continues to be offered. Periodic
checks will be conducted on submitted enquiries to ensure ongoing
conformance.