Prevention of Future Deaths reports · 2023

Gracie Spinks

Regulation 28 report to prevent future deaths, reference 2023-0479, written 27 Nov 2023. A coroner writes one of these when an inquest reveals a risk that could cause further deaths unless something changes.

Date of report27 Nov 2023
Reference2023-0479
DeceasedGracie Spinks
CoronerMatthew Kewley
Coroner areaDerby and Derbyshire
CategoryOther related deaths
Sourcejudiciary.uk record · original PDF
Responses published2

The report

Text extracted from the PDF text layer. Reproduced verbatim, including the scan's own layout.

REGULATION 28:  REPORT TO PREVENT FUTURE DEATHS 

REGULATION 28 REPORT TO PREVENT FUTURE DEATHS 

THIS REPORT IS BEING SENT TO: 

1.  The Chief Constable of Derbyshire Constabulary 

2.  The Rt Hon James Cleverly MP, Secretary of State for the Home 

Department 

1 

CORONER 

I am Matthew Kewley, Assistant Coroner, for the coroner area of Derby and Derbyshire. 

2 

CORONER’S LEGAL POWERS 

I make this report under paragraph 7, Schedule 5, of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 
and Regulations 28 and 29 of the Coroners (Investigations) Regulations 2013. 

3 

INVESTIGATION and INQUEST 

On  21  June  2021  I  commenced  an  investigation  into  the  death  of  Gracie  Elizabeth 
Spinks  (“Gracie”)  who  was  23  years  old  when  she  died  on  18  June  2021.  The 
investigation  concluded  on  16  November  2023  at  the  end  of  the  inquest  heard  with  a 
jury. The jury concluded that Gracie was unlawfully killed by a former work colleague on 
18 June 2021. 

4 

CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE DEATH 

Gracie was born in 1997. In 2020 Gracie started working for a company in Chesterfield 
called Xbite. Whilst working at Xbite, Gracie met up on a number of occasions outside of 
work with a male colleague who was employed as a supervisor at Xbite. Gracie decided 
that she did not want to have any sort of relationship with the supervisor and made this 
clear  to  him  in  December  2020.  The  supervisor  failed  to  accept  Gracie’s  decision  and 
became  obsessed  and  fixated  with  her.  Gracie  reported  the  supervisor’s  behaviour  to 
Xbite in January 2021 and he was subsequently dismissed from Xbite in February 2021. 

Gracie  also  reported  the  supervisor’s  stalking  behaviour  to  Derbyshire  Constabulary  in 
February 2021. A police investigation was carried out which resulted in no action being 
taken  against  the  supervisor.  The  supervisor  was  given  ‘words  of  advice’  by  the 
investigating police officer. 

In May 2021 a member of the public found a rucksack containing multiple weapons on a 
public footpath near to the field where Gracie kept her horse. The member of the public 
was  concerned  about  the  contents  of  the  rucksack  and  reported  this  to  Derbyshire 
Constabulary.  The  attending  police  officers  treated  the  rucksack  as  if  were  simply  an 
item of found property and failed to carry out any form of investigation into the rucksack 
and its contents. 

On 18 June 2021 Gracie was unlawfully killed by the supervisor who she had reported to 
Derbyshire Constabulary in February 2021. Gracie died as a result of a stab wound to 

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 the neck. It was established after Gracie’s death that the rucksack found by the member 
of  the  public  in  May  2021  containing  weapons  belonged  to  the  supervisor  who  killed 
Gracie. 

At  the  inquest  into  Gracie’s  death  Derbyshire  Constabulary  accepted  that  there  were 
multiple  serious police failings in respect of the stalking investigation in February 2021 
and the rucksack incident in May 2021. Those failings were recorded by the jury on the 
Record  of  Inquest  but  it  could  not  be  determined  that  those  failings  contributed  to 
Gracie’s death on 18 June 2021. 

5 

CORONER’S CONCERNS 

During the course of the inquest the evidence revealed matters giving rise to concern. In 
my  opinion  there  is  a  risk  that  future  deaths  will  occur  unless  action  is  taken.  In  the 
circumstances it is my statutory duty to report to you. 

The MATTERS OF CONCERN are as follows.  – 

Derbyshire Constabulary: 

in 

investigating  Gracie’s  stalking  complaint 

1.  Stalking – during the inquest I heard evidence from the police officers who were 
involved 
in  February  2021. 
Derbyshire  Constabulary  accepted  that  there  were  serious  failings  in  how 
Gracie’s  complaint  was  investigated  by  these  officers.  I  do  recognise  that 
Derbyshire  Constabulary  has  taken  some  steps  following  Gracie’s  death  to 
improve  knowledge  around  stalking.  However,  as 
the  Detective  Chief 
Superintendent who gave evidence for the Constabulary accepted, more needs 
to be done to improve knowledge and understanding around how officers should 
investigate complaints of stalking. Consideration may be given to: 

•  Reviewing  the  current  force  guidance/training  on  stalking  and  considering 
whether further guidance/training is required in light of the issues identified 
during  the  inquest  (including  consideration  of  whether  there  ought  to  be  a 
force policy on stalking); 

•  Re-enforcing  understanding  of  the  existing  training/guidance  on  stalking 
including  consideration  of  further  training  sessions/briefings  to  emphasise 
the  key  issues  around  investigating  complaints  of  stalking,  particularly  in 
relation  to  the  need  to  investigate  the  stalking  complaint  fully  in  order  to 
identify potential patterns in the suspect’s alleged behaviour; 

•  Ensuring  officers  are  aware  of  the  available  resources  on  stalking  and, 
crucially,  the  importance  of  actually  consulting  the  available  resources  on 
stalking when police officers are investigating stalking cases to ensure that 
investigations are conducted in line with expected standards. 

2.  Risk  assessments  –  during  the  inquest  I  saw  a  number  of  good  quality  risk 
assessments completed by police call handlers/officers who were involved in the 
very early stages of Gracie’s stalking complaint in February 2021 and also the 
rucksack incident in May 2021. However, it became apparent during the inquest 
that the police officers who were subsequently allocated to deal with the stalking 
complaint and the rucksack incident failed to record any form of risk assessment 

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 or  fully  assess  the  potential  risks.  As  was  recognised  by  the  Detective  Chief 
Superintendent  who  gave  evidence  for  the  Constabulary  at  the  inquest,  the 
crime  report  for  the  stalking  investigation  in  February  2021  lacked  any  sort  of 
risk assessment or even a recognition of potential risks. I heard evidence from 
the police officers involved in the stalking investigation and the rucksack incident 
and I am concerned that there may be an ongoing lack of understanding about 
the  importance  of  completing  comprehensive  risk  assessments  which  include 
the initial identification of risk and also, importantly, a regular re-assessment of 
risk  as  the  investigation  progresses.  I  consider  that  further  steps  should  be 
considered  in  order  to  improve  understanding  and  appreciation  of  the 
importance of completing comprehensive risk assessments. 

3. 

Independent  Office  for  Police  Conduct  (“IOPC”)  –  the  IOPC  carried  out  an 
investigation  into  the  conduct  of  the  five  officers  involved  in  the  stalking 
investigation  and  the  rucksack  incident.  The  IOPC  made  a  number  of 
recommendations to Derbyshire Constabulary which included: 

‘2.  To  consider  how  stalking  offence  locations  are  recorded  on  Niche. 
There  does  not  appear  to  be  any  guidance  to  suggest  that  all  of  the 
locations of the stalking offending are tagged to the incident individually. 
In this instance it may not have made any difference as the officers who 
received  the  bag  did  not  do  a  search  of  police  systems  for  the  area. 
However,  in  future  that  may  well  be  done,  and  it  could  make  the 
difference between linking risk and suspects.’ 

I  heard  evidence  about  this  issue  from  the  Detective  Chief  Superintendent  on 
behalf of the Constabulary and I am concerned that more needs to be done to 
engage  with  this  specific  recommendation  from  the  IOPC.  The  inquest  heard 
that  specific  geographical  locations  can  be  particularly  important  in  stalking 
investigations (i.e the horse field in Gracie’s case). As such, it seems to me that 
the  IOPC  recommendation  is  an  important  one  which  could  assist  in  future 
cases  with  linking  suspects  and  particular  locations  relevant  to  the  stalking 
investigation. 

4.  Contemporaneous  note  taking/record  keeping  –  during  the  inquest  I  heard 
that  police  officers  failed  to  make  any  contemporaneous  notes  of  important 
steps  in  the  police  investigation  including,  for  example,  conversations  with  an 
informant/member of the public, words of advice given to a suspect, a telephone 
call  to  a  potential  witness  and  also  an  internal  police  discussion  between  a 
police constable and police sergeant discussing the closure of an investigation. 
The  written  crime  reports  reviewed  during  the  inquest  also  lacked  sufficient 
detail around these important conversations/investigative steps – in other words, 
the crime reports did not compensate for the lack of contemporaneous notes. 

I am concerned that a lack of contemporaneous notes/insufficient detail within a 
crime  report  may  impact  on  the  ability  to  make  properly  informed  risk 
assessments which rely on the existence of a good written record of important 
conversations/steps  taken  during  an  investigation.  This  may  become  an  issue 
where, for example, an investigation is re-allocated to another police officer who 
has had no prior involvement in the investigation such that the newly allocated 
police  officer  will  be  reliant  upon  the  quality  of  the  original  police  officer’s 
records/notes. 

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 5.  Potential  weapons/dangerous  items  found  in  the  community  –  during  the 
inquest I heard that police officers attended to a report of a rucksack containing 
weapons found by a member of the public in May 2021.  Despite the rucksack 
containing weapons, it was treated by the attending police officers as if it were 
an  item  of  found  property.  Derbyshire  Constabulary  accepted  that  there  were 
serious failings in how the officers dealt with this incident. During the inquest, I 
heard  that  there  has  been  another  recent  incident  around  11  August  2023  in 
which a child found a knife concealed in bushes in a local park. The knife was 
concealed  in  a  sock  and  the  child’s  parent  was  concerned  that  the  knife  had 
been  concealed  so  that  it  could  be  used  at  a  later  date.  Despite  the  obvious 
potential  danger,  the  police  call  handler  advised  the  member  of  the  public  to 
‘destroy’  the  knife  and  advised  that  police  would  not  be  attending.  Whilst  I 
recognise  that  further  steps  have  been  taken  very  recently  in  response  to  this 
latest incident, I am concerned that there appears to be an ongoing issue within 
Derbyshire  Constabulary  around the ability of  some police officers/staff  to deal 
effectively with reports of potential dangerous weapons found in the community. 

The Rt Hon James Cleverley MP, Secretary of State for the Home Department: 

6. 

Independent Stalking Advocates – during the inquest I heard evidence about 
the  benefits  that  stalking  advocates  can  provide  to  those  who  are  victims  of 
stalking.  Whilst  I  was  reassured  to  hear  that  Derbyshire  now  benefits  from 
stalking  advocates,  I  heard  evidence  that  many  other  areas  around  the  UK  do 
not  have  stalking  advocates.  This  essentially  creates  a  postcode  lottery  for 
victims  who  report  stalking  to  the  police.  I  am  concerned  about  the  lack  of 
consistency  and  availability  of  stalking  advocates  to  victims  of  stalking  across 
the UK. 

6 

ACTION SHOULD BE TAKEN 

In my opinion action should be taken to prevent future deaths and I believe you have the 
power to take such action. 

7 

YOUR RESPONSE 

You are under a duty to respond to this report within 56 days of the date of this report, 
namely by 22 January 2024. I, the coroner, may extend the period. 

Your response must contain details of action taken or proposed to be taken, setting out 
the timetable for action. Otherwise you must explain why no action is proposed. 

8 

COPIES and PUBLICATION 

I have sent a copy of my report to the Chief Coroner and to the following Interested 
Persons: 

•  Gracie’s family 
•  Derbyshire Constabulary 

I have also sent it to the following individuals who may find it useful or of interest: 

• 
• 
• 

, National Police Chief Council Lead for Stalking and Harassment 
, Police and Crime Commissioner for Derbyshire 

, MP for Chesterfield 

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 I am also under a duty to send the Chief Coroner a copy of your response. 

The Chief Coroner may publish either or both in a complete or redacted or summary 
form. He may send a copy of this report to any person who he believes may find it useful 
or of interest. You may make representations to me, the coroner, at the time of your 
response, about the release or the publication of your response by the Chief Coroner. 

9  Matthew Kewley

Assistant Coroner for Derby and Derbyshire 
27 November 2023 

5

Responses

2 responses published against this report on judiciary.uk. A response is a body's written reply to the coroner's concerns; publication is at the discretion of the Chief Coroner's office, so an absent response does not mean nobody replied.

Response from Derbyshire Constabulary (PDF)
: 

Date: 

22 January 2024 

Dear Mr Kewley 

I am writing in response to your report dated 27th November 2023, following the inquest into the 
death of Gracie Spinks on 18th June 2021 in Derbyshire. We welcome the opportunity to update 
you on the changes the force has made to improve its response to stalking since 2021, and to 
inform you of the other actions we have taken, or propose to take, in response to your report. In 
doing so we again reiterate our sincere condolences to the family and friends of Miss Spinks. 

In  your  report,  you  note  five  areas  of  concern.  These  are  outlined  and  addressed  as  follows 
below. 

1. Knowledge and understanding of stalking and how officers should investigate complaints of 
staking, in which consideration may be given to: 

•  Reviewing the current force guidance/training on stalking and considering whether further 
guidance/training  is  required  in  light  of  the  issues  identified  during  the  inquest  (including 
consideration of whether there ought to be a force policy on stalking); 

•  Reinforcing  understanding  of 

including 
consideration  of  further  training  sessions/briefings  to  emphasise  the  key  issues  around 
investigating  complaints  of  stalking,  particularly  in  relation  to  the  need  to  investigate  the 
stalking  complaint  fully  in  order  to  identify  potential  patterns  in  the  suspect’s  alleged 
behaviour;  

training/guidance  on  stalking 

the  existing 

•  Ensuring  officers  are  aware  of  the  available  resources  on  stalking  and,  crucially,  the 
importance  of  actually consulting  the  available  resources  on  stalking  when  police  officers 
are  investigating  stalking  cases,  to  ensure  that  investigations  are  conducted  in  line  with 
expected standards. 

As a force, we are committed to improving our staff’s understanding and identification of stalking 
and vulnerability. Since the inquest, we have reviewed and refreshed the content of our training 
on stalking as part of the force’s vulnerability programme. This emphasises to our officers and 
staff the risk indicators of stalking behaviour and the importance of pursuing all reasonable lines 
of enquiry. A focus is also placed on the importance of broadening intelligence parameters to 
include multiple locations to assess cumulative risk, and that officers should undertake ongoing 
risk assessments throughout the course of an investigation and keep accurate records.  

Derbyshire Constabulary, Headquarters, Butterley Hall, Ripley, Derbyshire, DE5 3RS 
Incoming telephone calls and communications may be monitored and recorded. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
      
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
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The force is delivering the revised mandatory stalking training to all frontline police officers and 
staff. This commenced on 11th January 2024 and is expected to be completed by April 2024. 
The force will monitor attendance, undertake an evaluation of the training, and ensure it forms 
part of continued professional development (CPD) for officers and staff in the future. 

During January 2024, we have also updated the force’s training products which are delivered to 
student officers, to ensure their inputs are current and take cognisance of the learning points 
highlighted within your report.  

A full review of the force’s available resources on stalking was undertaken in December 2023, 
updating  key  points  on  multiple  locations  being  assessed  to  identify  potential  patterns  in  a 
suspect’s  behaviour.  Forcewide  messages  have  been  issued  to  officers  and  staff,  raising 
awareness of the availability of these resources to aid and inform investigations.  

To formalise the existing guidance on stalking, Derbyshire Constabulary is due to publish a new 
stalking  policy  in  February  2024.  The  policy  has  been  reviewed,  amended  and  sent  out  for 
consultation with key stakeholders across Contact Management, Divisional and Crime functions 
across the force. We have drawn upon and used best practice from other forces to formulate 
the  policy.  The  policy  specifically  sets  out  the  expectations  required  in  response  to  stalking, 
supported by a standard operating procedure that provides clarity on the working practices and 
processes to be followed. This will include a specific checklist for officers to consider as part of 
the investigation strategy, including wider crime pattern analysis, multiple offence locations and 
the  importance  of  adopting  an  ‘investigative  mindset’  when  pursuing  all  reasonable  lines  of 
enquiry. 

The launch of this policy will be delivered by a specific communications plan to ensure that all 
staff  are  fully  informed  of  the  changes  and  expectations.  The  policy  will  also  be  published 
externally on the force website. 

In March 2023, we developed a quality assurance framework in respect of investigations, known 
as  Quality  Assurance  Thematic  Testing  (QATT).  Through  this  framework,  investigations  are 
quality assured by officers of inspecting ranks across the organisation, focusing on the quality 
of investigation plans, victim care, suspect management, and effective supervision.  

This framework allows the force to review a cross section of investigation types, with an ability 
to  include  specific  areas  of  focus  such  as  stalking.  Established  processes  within  the  QATT 
framework ensure officers and their supervisors receive feedback from the case audits, including 
being signposted to relevant guidance and policy where required. 

QATT  performance  outcomes  are  monitored  through  force  performance  meetings,  providing 
scrutiny  and  oversight  at  a  senior  level.  During  January  2024,  all  crime  audits  will  relate  to 
stalking investigations, providing a deeper assessment of the quality of investigations and the 
impact of the ongoing training being provided.  

We recognise that to embed the learning from Miss Spinks’ death, cultural change is needed.  

The force’s strategic investigation strategy has been reviewed and 2024 is focused on the key 
theme of ‘investigative mindset’ and pursuing reasonable lines of enquiry. 

We are collaborating with the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s stalking and harassment lead 
Deputy  Chief  Constable 
,  to  undertake  an  independent  peer  review  of  the  force’s 
policies, procedures, and training material.  

A  tabletop  exercise  relating  to  stalking  and  harassment  will  be  held  in  March  2024  with 
attendance from subject matter experts, including senior investigators and stalking advocates. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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This forms part of our stalking improvement plan to better understand the victim’s journey and 
make appropriate improvements as a result of learning shared from the exercise. 

2. Risk assessments, particularly a lack of understanding about the importance of completing 
comprehensive  risk  assessments  which  include  the  initial  identification  of  risk  and  also, 
importantly, a regular re-assessment of risk as the investigation progresses. 

The force is focused on improving the consistency and quality of risk assessments. Staff in our 
Contact Centre undertake a regular programme of training, reinforcing the completion of Thrive 
risk  assessments  which  are  used  identify  the  threat,  harm,  risk,  investigative  opportunities, 
vulnerability, and engagement opportunities which are present when responding to incidents. 

Audits conducted by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services 
(HMICFRS) in October 2023, have shown that in 64 of 66 cases the call handler has provided 
a structured, accurate and meaningful Thrive risk assessment.  

Since  2021, the  force  has  introduced  a  Domestic  Abuse  Review  Team  (DART)  to  undertake 
secondary  risk  assessments  of  all  domestic  abuse,  stalking  and  harassment  (DASH)  risk 
assessments.  Similarly,  in  2022,  we  created  a  new  role,  a  stalking  coordinator,  to  undertake 
secondary risk assessments of non-domestic related stalking. The purpose of these functions 
is  to  undertake  an  objective  assessment  of  the  risk,  considering  the  cumulative  risk  from 
previous incidents or reports.  

During  the  force’s  2023  PEEL  Inspection,  by  HMICFRS,  the  quality  and  consistency  of  such 
assessments was inspected, and some areas for improvement were found. As a result, the force 
has immediately responded and throughout December 2023 we further trained our dedicated 
DART  team  to  ensure  a  greater  focus  is  placed  on  psychological  harm  and  patterns  of 
behaviour. We are currently working with Safe Lives, a nationally recognised charity within this 
field,  who  will  offer  further  inputs  in  February  2024  along  with  an  independent  audit  of  risk 
assessments the following month, to independently evaluate the changes that have been made.  

Further  changes  were  implemented  in  December  2023  to  improve  the  consistency  and 
timeliness  of  submitting  risk  assessments  for  stalking  cases.  The  previous  form  90  risk 
assessment, which was used in non-domestic abuse stalking investigations, was a stand-alone 
form, separate to other force risk assessments. This has now been integrated into the DASH 
risk assessment form, known as a DASH public protection notice (PPN), meaning there is now 
one process for assessing both domestic and non-domestic stalking. The Control Room policy 
is  now  to  no  longer  close  incidents  until  such  risk  assessments  have  been  completed  and 
endorsed on the log. This is overseen by supervision from line managers.  

The force has engaged other forces to identify best practice in respect of risk management of 
stalking. This has informed our proposal to develop a multi-agency stalking intervention panel. 
We are working with agencies, including the probation service, health professionals, fire service, 
children and adult social care, independent support services and stalking advocates to establish 
a  multi-agency  panel.  The  panel  seeks  to  enhance  the  management  and  safety  planning  of 
stalking  cases  through  considering  the  specific  circumstance  of  each  case,  and  coordinating 
appropriate interventions, both in terms of the safeguarding of victims and tackling perpetrator 
behaviour to reduce the risk of further offending. Although engagement with agencies continues, 
we are seeking to introduce this by June 2024. 

Regular risk assessments are required to be undertaken throughout an investigation and these 
expectations are clearly outlined in the force’s crime management policy. This is now monitored 
through the force’s QATT framework (as described earlier).  

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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A thematic review of stalking investigations between June 2023 and November 2023 has been 
undertaken.  Unfortunately,  this  demonstrated  a  continuing  need  for  improvement,  and  the 
revised training material, together with effective supervision and oversight is reinforcing this. The 
Thrive policy is being refreshed in January 2024 to include a greater focus on the ongoing need 
for  ‘re-Thrive’  assessments  during  an  investigation,  and  the  expectation  for  this  to  be  fully 
documented on the crime report.  

The force is evaluating the impact of the work being undertaken and the changes to policy with 
a  further  thematic  audit throughout  January  2024,  to  assess  performance  in  this  area,  which 
shall be reviewed at the force’s strategic Performance Assurance Board, chaired by the Deputy 
Chief Constable. 

3.  Independent  Office  for  Police  Conduct  (IOPC)  recommendation  to  be  fully  considered, 
namely: 

•  To  consider  how  stalking  offence  locations  are  recorded  on  Niche.  There  does  not 
appear to be any guidance to suggest that all of the locations of the stalking offending 
are  tagged  to  the  incident  individually.  In  this  instance  it  may  not  have  made  any 
difference as the officers who received the bag did not do a search of police systems for 
the  area.  However,  in  future that  may  well  be  done,  and  it could  make the  difference 
between linking risk and suspects. 

In 2016, Derbyshire Constabulary adopted Niche as its Crime Management System. It is used 
across  the  force  for  investigation  and  case  management,  safeguarding  referrals,  intelligence 
submissions,  property  management  and  custody  management.  To  ensure  we  can  identify 
patterns and trends, the system relies on data being flagged or linked. Prior to December 2023 
the  force  had  been  unable  to  link  multiple  locations  to  a  crime  report,  due  to  a  lack  of 
functionality. However, following the recommendation made by the IOPC the force has worked 
with Niche and other police forces to introduce this functionality, which is now available following 
a  system  upgrade.  These  changes  took  effect  in  November  2023  and  notification  of  this  has 
been communicated to the force via the Chief’s Orders, a circular, on 11th December 2023 and 
reiterated in January 2024, on the force intranet.  

In addition, the force’s command and control system, which records calls for service, dispatches 
officers and records attendance, is due to be replaced in July 2025. The new system will provide 
new capability across our telephony and command and control functions, including the ability to 
tag multiple locations. Its automated intelligence functions have improved capability, providing 
a greater amount of information to inform risk assessments, identifying more effectively repeat 
callers and locations without the need to search multiple systems. In the meantime, intelligence 
officers support call handlers, through assessing information linked to wider locations, as part of 
an incident’s initial intelligence assessment.  

4.  Contemporaneous  note  taking/record  keeping,  particularly  a  lack  of  contemporaneous 
notes/insufficient detail within a crime report may impact on the ability to make properly informed 
risk  assessments  which  rely  on  the  existence  of  a  good  written  record  of  important 
conversations/steps taken during an investigation. 

All officers receive core training for investigation as part of the Professionalising Investigations 
Programme (PIP),  at  level  1  for  volume  and  priority  crime  and  level  2 for  those  investigating 
more serious and complex investigations.  

This builds investigative skills, in which the importance of effective record keeping is threaded 
throughout. Specifically, the conducting investigations module, national decision model module 
and  Criminal  Procedure  and  Investigations  Act  (CPIA)  and  disclosure  training  inputs  all 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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emphasise the importance of record keeping, noting the significance of rationale and actions 
taken for accountability.  

Since  the  inquest,  the  importance  of  contemporaneous  note  taking  and  record  keeping  has 
formed  part  of  key  messaging,  through  senior  management  teams,  to  frontline  staff  and 
supervisors. This area of learning has also been incorporated into the training material that has 
been refreshed. Officers have access to mobile devices upon which contemporaneous notes 
can be made.  

Building upon this, as mentioned above, the force’s Improving Investigations strategy has been 
reviewed and refocused for 2024, in which building an ‘investigative mindset’ is a key priority. A 
series of workshops are underway throughout January and February 2024, with senior leaders 
as well as frontline officers and staff, to understand the capabilities required and opportunities 
to improve the desired behaviour.  

This  includes  a  focus  on  behavioural  change  as  well  as  process  improvement.  Within  the 
delivery plan, is a focus on reinforcing the requirements to maintain robust and comprehensive 
record keeping, understanding the importance of note taking from both an evidential and risk 
management perspective. This will be governed through the Strategic Improving Investigation 
Board,  chaired  by  the  Head  of  Crime,  and  incorporated  into  the  QATT  framework  for 
performance monitoring. 

5.  Potential  weapons/dangerous  items  found  in  the  community,  and  a  concern  that  there 
appears to be an ongoing issue within Derbyshire Constabulary around the ability of some police 
officers/staff  to  deal  effectively  with  reports  of  potentially  dangerous  weapons  found  in  the 
community. 

In 2021, the force issued guidance for responding to reports of found property. In October 2023, 
the  force  reviewed  its  policies  in  respect  of  property,  realigning  the  earlier  guidance  through 
introducing  a  specific  policy  relating  to  found  weapons.  An  audit  of  found  property  incidents 
between  October  2023  and  December  2023  has  been  undertaken.  There  is  still  more 
improvement needed to ensure revision of risk at all appropriate stages and  divisional senior 
management  teams  are  reinforcing  expectations  regarding  the  standards  of  investigations 
required  in  such  cases,  in  accordance  with  the  policy.  The  ongoing  audit  and  performance 
monitoring shall remain in place until working practices are to the required standard. The Deputy 
Chief Constable will monitor these. 

Further to the inquest we have introduced a Gold Group chaired by the Deputy Chief Constable, 
to review the recommendations within the Prevention of Future Deaths report, understand the 
issues raised and take appropriate action. This group shall remain in place to track progress 
against the recommendations. I hope the above response provides you with the assurance of 
the actions taken by the force since 2021 and its continued efforts to improve the service we 
provide to our communities in respect of stalking.  

Yours sincerely 

Chief Constable
Response from Home Office (PDF)
Home Office 

Matthew Kewley 
HM Assistant Coroner for Derb  shire 

Home Secretary 

2 Marsham Street 
London SW1 P 4DF
www.gov.uk/home-office 

lg'  January 2024 

ank you for sending the Report to Prevent Future Deaths on 27 November 2023 

regarding the tragic death of Gracie Spinks. 

Before I respond in turn to the important points you raise in your report,  I would like to 
foremostly recognise that at the heart of this inquest is Gracie Spinks and I speak directly 
to her bereaved family when I express my deepest condolences for their loss. Stalking is 
an  appalling crime that has a devastating impact on victims, and this is something the 
Government takes extremely seriously. 

In your report, you raise concerns regarding the lack of consistency and availability of 
Independent Stalking Advocates (ISAs) to victims of stalking across the UK. The 
Government recognises the value of this support and has provided additional funding to 
stalking charities for victims. The National Stalking  Helpline,  run  by the 
Trust with part-funding from the Home Office provides advice and advocacy services for 
victims. The Ministry of Justice are also quadrupling funding for victim and witness 
support services by 2024/25, up from £41 m in 2009/10. 

At the local level, the Ministry of Justice provides grant funding to Police and Crime 
Commissioners to commission support services for victims of all crime types,  based on 
their assessment of local need.  Police and Crime Commissioners can also use core 
funding to directly fund stalking advocates in their local area providing additional 
specialist support and advice. 

However, I am open to exploring whether more needs to be done to recognise and 
promote this important specialism. This is why the Government is continuing to explore 
with relevant stakeholders, such as the National Stalking Consortium, where Government 
intervention could improve the criminal justice response to stalking and support for 
stalking victims,  including within the Victims and Prisoners Bill. The Bill continues its 
passage through Parliament with Committee stage in the Lords beginning on the 24 
January where we welcome further debate on this area. 

I would also like to respond to some of the wider points made in the report in relation to 
the police response to stalking. The Home Office regularly works with the National Police 
Chiefs' Council to raise awareness among police officers of the available guidance and 
training on stalking.  I have also asked officials to review the Home Office statutory 
guidance on coercive and controlling behaviour (CCB) so it makes clear what the 
differences are between CCB and stalking, allowing officers to respond appropriately. 

 
 I have also asked officials to work with the National Police Chiefs' Council to gather 
examples of best practice in terms of policing stalking cases, to share with forces and 
support them with their force policies on  stalking. 

I thank you for raising the important issues in your report.  I would like to assure you that 
the Home Office is fully committed to tackling the crime of stalking and  is dedicated to 
doing all that it can to protect victims and to robustly target perpetrators.

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