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HOLMES (Home Office Large Major Enquiry System)
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A police database that processes information to assist the
management of an investigation and the allocation and progress
of tasks (known as ‘actions’). Actions are prioritised as high,
medium or low priority. Once an action has been completed, it is
reviewed and, if no further work is necessary, it is placed in
the ‘resulted queue’, and then ultimately ‘filed’. ‘Referred’
actions are those actions which will not be pursued, in
accordance with the senior investigating officer’s policy.
‘Pended’ actions relate to actions that are to be allocated on a
predetermined date. Documents generated by actions (including
statements, exhibits, interview transcripts, reports from
officers and the actions themselves) are logged on HOLMES with
unique reference numbers (for example, ‘S1’ is statement 1 and
‘X1’ is exhibit 1).
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Jigsaw identification
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The ability to identify someone from different pieces of
information.
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Section 1(1) of the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 1992
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This section prevents any matter being published about a
complainant which might enable the public to identify them as
being someone against whom a sexual offence has been said to
have been committed.
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Trial of the facts
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If, based on medical evidence, a court determines that a person
is unfit to stand trial, then criminal proceedings cannot
proceed. Prosecutors then have the option to have the matter
heard as a ‘trial of the facts’. This is a trial in which the
jury is asked to decide – on the basis of evidence adduced by
the prosecution and defence lawyers – whether or not the accused
did the acts he or she was charged with.
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Victims’ Right to Review scheme
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The Victims’ Right to Review scheme enables victims to seek a
review of certain Crown Prosecution Service decisions not to
start a prosecution or to stop a prosecution. It is an important
safeguard in England and Wales in relation to the rule of law.
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