Bichard Inquiry Report

This inquiry was set up to examine the child protection procedures in Humberside Police and Cambridgeshire Constabulary in the light of the murder of Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells. Although Ian Huntley was solely responsible for the murders, the omissions, failures and shortcomings of procedure were so extensive one cannot be confident that he was the only person who has slipped through the net. The two police forces, social services, and the college recruitment procedures are criticised, but in particular there was a systematic failure of record keeping and the management of intelligence in Humberside. The recommendations for action cover the topics of: a national IT system of police intelligence; police IT procurement; the police national computer; a new code of practice for information management; the handling of allegations of sexual offences against children; training for recruitment interviews; a registration scheme for those wishing to work with children or vulnerable adults; vetting.The inquiry will reconvene in six months to review the progress made against the recommendations.