§ Mr. PriskTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many Customs and Excise investigators there(a) were immediately prior to July 2003 and (b) have been since July 2003. [176425]
§ John HealeyAs Mr. Justice Butterfield reported In his "Review of Criminal Investigation and Prosecutions Conducted by HM Customs and Excise", published in July 2003, Customs had about 2,500 investigators in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. At the end of April 2004. Customs had around 2,400 investigators, although fluctuations in headcount can result from the movement of investigation staff internally, into and out of Intelligence disciplines, and externally to and from other agencies.
§ Mr. PriskTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many hours of refresher training Customs and Excise investigators(a) were scheduled to receive prior to July 2003 and (b) have been scheduled to receive since July 2003; [176423]
(2) how many Customs and Excise investigators (a) completed refresher training in each of the three years prior to July 2003 and (b) have completed such training since July 2003. [176424]
§ John HealeyWhile praising some aspects of their training for investigators, Mr Justice Butterfield identified in his "Review of Criminal Investigations and Prosecutions Conducted by HM Customs and Excise" that Customs did not have in place a planned programme of refresher training. When his review was published on 15 July 2003, I announced that the Government had accepted his recommendation that such a programme should be developed, along with his other recommendations for Customs' Law Enforcement service.
Since then, Customs have developed a full refresher training programme, comprising seven modules lasting a total of 167 hours, which they are subjecting to external accreditation through the national training organisation, Skills for Justice. Delivery of this training began in March 2004, and over 300 investigators will complete this programme each year.
§ Mr. PriskTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what procedures have been introduced since July 2003 to handle and manage human sources in Customs and Excise investigations; [176427]
(2) what procedures have been implemented since July 2003 to ensure that Customs and Excise personnel retain adequate records when dealing with sources in Customs and Excise investigations. [176428]
§ John HealeyFollowing Mr. Justice Butterfield's "Review of Criminal Investigations and Prosecution Conducted by HM Customs and Excise", published on 15 July 2003, Customs and Excise introduced a new policy for dealing with the receipt and management of238W information from human sources, which came into operation on 1 September 2003. 'HumInt' is the generic term applied to all persons who give information to Customs relating to a possible criminal offence, including any offences that may ultimately be dealt with under 'civil' provisions, or any regulatory breach. Customs' HumInt policy is outlined in general terms in paragraphs 10.88 onwards of the Butterfield review.
The HumInt policy requires all officers of Customs and Excise, not just investigators, on receipt of information from a HumInt to record and retain the information in a durable and retrievable format and to lodge both the details of the HumInt and the information with a central unit. That unit, is responsible for creating an electronic central register both of the HumInt and of the information received. It is also responsible for assessing the information received to decide on categorisation, handling and dissemination requirements.
The policy and the associated guidance have been promulgated to every officer in the Department through its intranet site, supported by an initial programme of awareness events. HumInt training modules are now incorporated in all core training across the Department. The HumInt policy includes direction and guidance regarding the material to be recorded and the need for retention in a durable and retrievable format of original notes in relation to dealings with HumInt. Compliance with the requirements of the HumInt policy forms an integral part of Customs' assurance programmes.