Video: Don't Know What You've Got ('til it's gone): The Problems with Retaining Evidence

This seminar took place on Wednesday 20th January 2021 and was organised by Northumbria University.

Speakers include Damian Allain, the Head of Casework at Inside Justice, a former New Scotland Yard senior detective, and Professor Carole McCartney, Northumbria University. They both provided an in-depth discussion on evidence retention.

The talk detailed the Evidence Retention Project undertaken by Inside Justice, which has interrogated the policies and practices of police forces nationally in respect of their retention regimes, both on paper and in practice. The project has discovered a worrying picture of inconsistency, with confusion over what should be retained, and how. This is compounded by ongoing uncertainty over the future of Forensic Archive Ltd. The project has also made recommendations about reforms necessary to address this neglected but vital area of concern.