§ Mr. Meacherasked the Attorney-General if he will ensure that in any case where a prosecution against a police officer is contemplated in circumstances analogous to that of the complaint of assault made by a Nigerian student referred to in The Observer ariticle of 24 January and by the hon. Member for Oldham, West on 25 January, Official Report, column 613, a decision not to prosecute shall not be taken until the police force concerned has taken every step possible to identify the officers involved; and if, in the absence of such reassurance, he will consider what amendments in procedure should be made.
§ The Attorney-GeneralNo. It is not for me to decide whether a police force has taken every possible step to identify the officers involved in an alleged offence. The Director of Public Prosecutions will continue to ask for further inquiries to be made in any case where he thinks that this will prove useful.
§ Mr. Meacherasked the Attorney-General in what specific respects he has asked the Director of Public Prosecutions to review the case of the Nigerian student reported in The Observer of 24 January, and referred to by the hon. Member for Oldham, West on 25 January, Official Report, col. 613; and if, in the light of the circumstances, he will seek to establish a full investigation by another police officer from a different police force, which would require the complainant, the police officers against whom the complaint was made, and any witnesses to be interviewed afresh in full and all relevant documentary evidence to be scrutinised in detail.
§ The Attorney-GeneralI asked the Director of Public Prosecutions to look into this case and report to me. I had 327W no specific aspect of the case in mind but wished to be informed of the facts as they had been reported to the Director.
The Director will be reporting to me shortly and I shall then write to the hon. Member.