Police told not to destroy casefiles without PGO’s permission

The police were told on Sunday not to destroy originals of casefiles unless with explicit permission from the Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO).

The PGO said on Sunday that the regulations on management of police records stipulates circumstances where casefiles in cases where the office decides against prosecuting may be destroyed within one year.

The PGO said that the law also allows for casefiles in such cases to be used in the prosecution of other criminal cases, and that the office is working on drafting instructions to investigative agencies regarding the management and destruction of casefiles.

The PGO has instructed the police not to destroy any casefiles unless with explicit permission from the office until it compiles these instructions.

The regulation on management of police records requires police to keep casefiles in major criminal cases for at least eight years, and others for three years.

But the regulation was revised last week to allow for casefiles in cases where the PGO has ruled out charges to be destroyed within one year.