Crime and intelligence - Serious crime analysis section policy (S04))

1. Summary of changes

1.1. A full policy review was conducted in March 2024 – no amendments to policy content were made.

2. What this procedure is about

2.1 Serious crime analysis section (SCAS) forms part of the National Crime Agency’s (NCA) operational directorate and provides a national service for investigators of serious sexual offences. Its main objective is to use data collected from police forces to identify the potential emergence of serial killers and serial rapists at the earliest stage of their offending.

2.2 Where a case suitable for SCAS submission is identified, the investigating officer must provide specified case material to the force SCAS contact officers for onward submission to NCA.

Compliance with this procedure is mandatory.

3. Detail the procedure

3.1 All detail is contained within the supporting standard operating procedure (SOP).

4. Equality Impact Assessment (EIA)

4.1. An Equality Impact Assessment has been carried out and shows the proposals in this procedure/SOP would have no potential or actual differential impact on grounds of age, sex, disability, race, religion or belief, marriage and civil partnership, sexual orientation, gender reassignment and pregnancy and maternity.

5. Risk assessment

5.1. This SOP has been assessed as medium risk.

6. Monitoring and review

6.1. This policy will be monitored by the policy owner. It is next due for review in March  2025.

7. Security

7.1. Kent Police have measures in place to protect the security of your data in accordance with our Information Management policy (Policy W1000 – Information Management).

8. Retention and disposal of records

8.1. Kent Police will hold data in accordance with our Records Review, Retention and Disposal Policy (Policy W1012 – records review, retention and disposal).