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Ben Wallace MP described the unit as "... a step change to improving the quality and capability of the armed forces to investigate serious crimes. Fully independent, it will create a critical mass of experience and personnel to ensure our investigations are thorough, high quality and timely."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Grylls |first1=George |title=British military sets up unit for investigating sexual offences |url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/british-military-unit-sexual-offences-investigation-8b8rtswd7 |access-date=15 January 2023 |work=The Times |date=5 December 2022|url-access=subscription}}</ref> The "fully independent" that Wallace states is that investigations will be outside of the alleged victims' chain of command.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Sabbagh |first1=Dan |title=MoD overhauls rules for investigating sexual offences in armed forces |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/dec/02/mod-overhauls-rules-for-investigating-sexual-offences-in-armed-forces |access-date=15 January 2023 |work=The Guardian |date=2 December 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Sengupta |first1=Kim |title=Army reforms announced in bid to protect female soldiers from abuse |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/british-army-women-sexual-harrassment-bullying-b1968104.html |access-date=15 January 2023 |work=The Independent |date=2 December 2021}}</ref> The DSCU will utilise the specialist skills and resources of all three services in one unit. In November 2021, when some of the recommendations from the Henriques report were taken forward, it was stated that the DSCU would have military commander who was "hierarchically, institutionally and practically" independent of the chain of command and of those whom it investigated.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Hughes |first1=Laura |title=UK government and generals criticised over efforts to curb harassment in army |url=https://www.ft.com/content/a055c299-a5fa-4e0e-9385-904de2c36d32 |access-date=15 January 2023 |work=Financial Times |date=8 November 2021|url-access=subscription}}</ref>
Ben Wallace MP described the unit as "... a step change to improving the quality and capability of the armed forces to investigate serious crimes. Fully independent, it will create a critical mass of experience and personnel to ensure our investigations are thorough, high quality and timely."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Grylls |first1=George |title=British military sets up unit for investigating sexual offences |url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/british-military-unit-sexual-offences-investigation-8b8rtswd7 |access-date=15 January 2023 |work=The Times |date=5 December 2022|url-access=subscription}}</ref> The "fully independent" that Wallace states is that investigations will be outside of the alleged victims' chain of command.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Sabbagh |first1=Dan |title=MoD overhauls rules for investigating sexual offences in armed forces |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/dec/02/mod-overhauls-rules-for-investigating-sexual-offences-in-armed-forces |access-date=15 January 2023 |work=The Guardian |date=2 December 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Sengupta |first1=Kim |title=Army reforms announced in bid to protect female soldiers from abuse |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/british-army-women-sexual-harrassment-bullying-b1968104.html |access-date=15 January 2023 |work=The Independent |date=2 December 2021}}</ref> The DSCU will utilise the specialist skills and resources of all three services in one unit. In November 2021, when some of the recommendations from the Henriques report were taken forward, it was stated that the DSCU would have military commander who was "hierarchically, institutionally and practically" independent of the chain of command and of those whom it investigated.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Hughes |first1=Laura |title=UK government and generals criticised over efforts to curb harassment in army |url=https://www.ft.com/content/a055c299-a5fa-4e0e-9385-904de2c36d32 |access-date=15 January 2023 |work=Financial Times |date=8 November 2021|url-access=subscription}}</ref>


All staff on the new unit will be trained to deal with sexual offences, with some being trained in special investigations procedures, family liaison and specialist interviewing techniques at the College of Policing.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Mander |first1=Simon |title=Defences launches new unit to combat sexual offenders |work=RAF News |issue=1,581 |date=13 January 223 |page=13|issn=0035-8614}}</ref>
All staff on the new unit will be trained to deal with sexual offences, with some being trained in special investigations procedures, family liaison and specialist interviewing techniques at the College of Policing.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Mander |first1=Simon |title=Defences launches new unit to combat sexual offenders |work=RAF News |issue=1,551 |date=13 January 223 |page=13|issn=0035-8614}}</ref>


== See also ==
== See also ==

Revision as of 21:41, 15 January 2023

Defence Serious Crime Unit
Gegründet5 December 2022
LandVereinigtes Königreich Vereinigtes Königreich
Branch
TypDefence investigative unit
RoleService criminal investigations
Garrison/HQSouthwick Park
Commanders
Current
commander		Colonel Mark Strong[1]

The Defence Serious Crime Unit (also the DSCU), is a unit within the Defence Crime Command which investigates alleged crimes and criminal activity involving personnel subject to Service law in the United Kingdom, or those in the UK military serving abroad. The unit replaces the three Special Investigation Branches of the UK armed services (the Royal Navy, the British Army, and the Royal Air Force).

Background

In 2017, a Service Justice System Review was enacted, led by Shaun Lyons and Jon Murphy. One of the report's recommendations was that a Defence Serious Crime Unit be formed from personnel drawn from all three service strands within the UK military framework.

*Recommendation 2: A tri-Service Defence Serious Crime Unit (DSCU) is created following the civilian police Regional Organised Crime Unit (ROCU) model.

  • Recommendation 3: The three existing Special Investigations Bureau (SIB) be brigaded into the DSCU together with all current specialist investigative support - intelligence, undercover, surveillance, digital units, forensic and scenes of crime.
  • Recommendation 4: SP personnel are seconded into the unit and should retain their individual SP identity.[2]

In October 2020, Ben Wallace MP further enacted a second report by Richard Henriques which agreed wholeheartedly with the SJS review in the setting up of the DCSU.[3] This report was delivered in October 2021.[4] The service criminal inquiry process had attracted some criticism as it was deemed to have not effectively investigated criminal activity, particularly the most serious crimes of rape, manslaughter and murder. The Centre for Military Justice maintains that such serious crimes as these (and the crime of sexual assault by penetration), should be investigated by civilian police forces.[5] Up until 2006, these crimes were tried in the civilian courts, however, this was amended in 2006 so that service police could investigate crimes that had occurred abroad (when service personnel were on active duty) which the civilian courts could not legally prosecute.[6]

The DCSU will be a tri-service unit under the command of a newly appointed provost-marshal.[7] Legislation dictates a "Tri-service serious crimes unit" being formed on 5 December 2022.[8]

Role

Ben Wallace MP described the unit as "... a step change to improving the quality and capability of the armed forces to investigate serious crimes. Fully independent, it will create a critical mass of experience and personnel to ensure our investigations are thorough, high quality and timely."[9] The "fully independent" that Wallace states is that investigations will be outside of the alleged victims' chain of command.[10][11] The DSCU will utilise the specialist skills and resources of all three services in one unit. In November 2021, when some of the recommendations from the Henriques report were taken forward, it was stated that the DSCU would have military commander who was "hierarchically, institutionally and practically" independent of the chain of command and of those whom it investigated.[12]

All staff on the new unit will be trained to deal with sexual offences, with some being trained in special investigations procedures, family liaison and specialist interviewing techniques at the College of Policing.[13]

See also

References

  1. ^ Lemmer, Richard (5 December 2022). "Serious crimes on Royal Navy warships could see vessels called home for a new independent investigations unit under military shake-up". The News. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  2. ^ Lyons, Shaun; Murphy, Jon (March 2019). "Service Justice System Review (Part 2)" (PDF). assets.publishing.service.gov.uk. p. 26.
  3. ^ Henriques, Richard. "REPORT OF THE HENRIQUES REVIEW INTO THE FRAMEWORK, PROCESSES AND SKILLS THAT THE SERVICE JUSTICE SYSTEM REQUIRES FOR OVERSEAS OPERATIONS" (PDF). assets.publishing.service.gov.uk. p. 15. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  4. ^ "Sir Richard Henriques Review". hansard.parliament.uk. 21 October 2021. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  5. ^ "Problems with the Service Police". centreformilitaryjustice.org.uk. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  6. ^ Boffey, Daniel (2 November 2022). "Eight in 10 rape charges tried by UK military courts end without conviction". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  7. ^ "MOD to establish Defence Serious Crime Unit". gov.uk. 21 October 2021. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  8. ^ "The Armed Forces (Tri-Service Serious Crime Unit) (Consequential Amendments) (No. 2) Regulations 2022". legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  9. ^ Grylls, George (5 December 2022). "British military sets up unit for investigating sexual offences". The Times. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  10. ^ Sabbagh, Dan (2 December 2021). "MoD overhauls rules for investigating sexual offences in armed forces". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  11. ^ Sengupta, Kim (2 December 2021). "Army reforms announced in bid to protect female soldiers from abuse". The Independent. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  12. ^ Hughes, Laura (8 November 2021). "UK government and generals criticised over efforts to curb harassment in army". Financial Times. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  13. ^ Mander, Simon (13 January 223). "Defences launches new unit to combat sexual offenders". RAF News. No. 1, 551. p. 13. ISSN 0035-8614.
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