International flying squad would tackle suspicious deaths abroad

Sean O’Neill and Adam Fresco
The Times
Jun. 26, 2007

The murders of British citizens overseas may soon be investigated by a British “flying squad” with an international remit.

The Times has learnt that senior police officers are drawing up plans for a new unit that could be dispatched abroad at short notice to investigate suspicious deaths of Britons.

The proposal will be placed before the new Attorney-General and the new Home Secretary later this year but The Times understands that preliminary discussions on it have already taken place.

About 200 British people – tourists and expatriates – die in suspicious circumstance overseas every year. In several recent high-profile cases Scotland Yard has sent detectives abroad to carry out joint investigations with local forces.

Detectives flew to Jamaica this year to assist local police in the inquiry into the death of Bob Woolmer, the Pakistan cricket coach. British officers were also involved in several investigations in Iraq, including those into the murders of the hostages Kenneth Bigley and Margaret Hassan.

However, there are no formal procedures in place for overseas investigations and in many cases the families of murder and accident victims struggle to discover what has happened to their loved ones.

The idea of a standing force of experienced investigators has the support of police chiefs, and the Association of Chief Police Officers is believed to be preparing a report on the proposal for ministers.

“The issue at stake is how can we meet the expectations of families around the deaths of British citizens across the world,” a police source said.

“UK citizens travel very widely and when tragic events occur there are often requests from coroners for evidence about a death or requests from foreign police officers for help.

“Those situations could best be served by setting up a dedicated unit or an agency, with officers seconded from forces around the country, which could respond instantly.”

The proposal received an enthusiastic welcome from Support After Murder and Manslaughter, which offers help to bereaved families.

“It is a wonderful idea and we hope that it receives government backing,” said Rose Dixon, of the group. “It is terrible for families when someone is murdered but the distress is even greater if the person has been killed overseas. The relatives feel so out of touch. They cannot find out what is happening, and distance and language pose huge problems.

Ms Dixon said that victims’ families needed to have single point of contact. “If a murder occurs in Britain, a family liaison officer is appointed but that doesn’t always happen if the crime happens in a foreign country,” she said.

“It would help bereaved families enormously to know that British officers are involved in any investigation and to have a single point of contact with police at home who can tell them what is going on.”

Several hurdles need to be overcome before any new unit is established. British police cannot fly to another country without an invitation from that nation’s police force. But British homicide investigators are well regarded around the world and their expertise is often sought out.

A key issue to be resolved is whether the caseload of any new unit would be limited strictly to instances in which a death has occurred. Many believe such a restriction would be unfair to those who have suffered rape or child abduction abroad.

Global beat

— Sergeant Steven Roberts of the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment was shot dead by colleagues in Iraq in 2003 when soldiers opened fire on an Iraqi man who was throwing rocks at them. British detectives travelled to Iraq and the US to interview witnesses after the Crown Prosecution Service expressed concerns his death may have been an unlawful killing.

— Caroline Dickinson, 13, was raped and strangled in a youth hostel in Brittany in 1996. The French police investigation was heavily criticised. After a long campaign by her father, John Dickinson, British police became involved in a liaison role. Francisco Arce Montes, a serial sex offender, was convicted of Caroline’s murder in 2004.

— British police flew to Japan last week to contact officers hunting the killer of Lindsay Hawker, murdered in Tokyo in March. Japanese police bungled a raid on the home of the key suspect.

— British officers are also thought to be involved in the search for five Britons being held hostage in Iraq. Antiterrorist specialists were sent to investigate the murders of Kenneth Bigley and Margaret Hassan.