South Wales Police has today published the closing report of ‘Operation Dalecrest’, the investigation carried out by Devon and Cornwall Police into complaints concerning the Lynette White Phase III investigation.
The Phase III inquiry itself had examined the conduct of police officers and others involved in the original investigation of Lynette’s murder.
Devon and Cornwall Police were invited to undertake Operation Dalecrest by South Wales Police and have found no evidence of wrongdoing or malice in the actions of officers who had investigated the conduct of the earlier investigation. Their report identifies areas of organisational learning for the force, as well as areas of best practice.
A separate review by HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate published in 2013, had already found that a range of factors had caused difficulties in the prosecution of the case against former officers, including its complexity and scale, but also issues with the systems and processes employed.
That review also concluded there was no evidence of wrongdoing in the preparation of the case which was discontinued in Swansea Crown Court in December 2011. The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) also reported in 2013 on the alleged destruction of documents in the case, recommending management advice but finding no misconduct.
Following the publication of the ‘Dalecrest’ closing report, Deputy Chief Constable, Matt Jukes, said it should be read alongside the considerable body of work already completed concerning the 26-year history of the case;
“We had anticipated, given the findings of the HM CPSI and IPCC that ‘Dalecrest’ would find some issues in individual decisions or actions and in some processes in the Phase III investigation,“ he added.
“It is important to read these conclusions in the context of the overall findings; that there was no evidence of wrongdoing surrounding these issues and the majority of complaints were not upheld.
“We have of course to reflect on the areas of learning and we are already engaged locally and nationally to take those forward. We should not forget that the Phase III investigation was unprecedented in its scope and there was no handbook to turn to for its design.
“Because of our experiences, subsequent investigations here and further afield will be informed by our learning and also by the areas of best practice identified by Dalecrest.
“Today’s report reflects the good faith and professional leadership with which officers from South Wales Police approached the important and challenging investigation into the earlier police enquiry.
“I would also like to thank Devon and Cornwall for their thorough and objective work into these complaints”.
South Wales Police have concluded that given the wider public interest in this case, whilst maintaining the privacy of individual complainants, this report should be placed within the public domain to be read alongside the other reports published last year.
