Rivers Judiciary Launches SOP to Strengthen Criminal Investigations, Reporting

A Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the Police and the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has been introduced by the Rivers State Administration of Criminal Justice Monitoring Council (ACJMC) aimed at strengthening criminal investigations and reporting.

Chief Judge of Rivers State, Justice Simeon Amadi, who is also Chairman of the ACJMC, said this on Monday, November 25, 2024 during the unveiling and formal presentation of the SOP booklet to the Police and the Ministry of Justice in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

He stated that the purpose of the booklet is to ensure that criminal investigations meet the standards required by the justice system, explaining that the SOP is designed to guide prosecutors and legal practitioners in conducting evidence-based investigations, thereby improving the prosecution of reported crimes in the state.

“This initiative marks a significant milestone in the ongoing commitment of the Council to improving our criminal justice system and ensuring that the watchwords for our service in the Criminal Justice Sector are integrity, efficiency, and accountability.”

“The SOP will enhance collaboration between Police prosecutors and DPP lawyers, streamline processes, reduce delays, and lead to more effective prosecutions and speedy trials.”

“The development of this SOP has been a collaborative effort, involving diligent work from all the actors.”

“It seeks to bridge the gap between the Police and the office of the DPP by providing clear guidelines and standardised practices that will enhance communication, streamline processes, reduce delay and ultimately lead to more effective prosecution of crimes and speedy trials of defendants.”

“To create an enabling environment for seamless prosecution of criminal cases and speedy determination of criminal cases in our courts; by doing so, our resolve to uphold the rule of law and work towards a safer environment for our society will be strengthened and justice will be served promptly and effectively. This will boost confidence in our criminal justice system.”

He expressed gratitude to everyone who has contributed to the creation of the SOP, urging other law enforcement agencies and institutions to key into the project by establishing similar desks in their domains.

Speaking, a Chief Magistrate and Executive Secretary of the ACJMC, llanye Brown noted that many criminal investigations currently fail to meet the standards of justice, prompting the need for the SOP as a practical solution.

“The essence is that it has come to our notice that lots of criminal matters their investigation’s do not meet the need of justice in the sense that it is not evidence based. We noticed that after so much trouble to investigate, it has no meat to sustain a conviction of crime.”

“The solution we thought is to introduce a system that will bring about early engagement of prosecutors in investigation to guide the investigations to ensure that the facts elicited from investigation are such that can ground convictions.”

“It will engender speedy delivery of justice because before you come to the court you have your facts already, not just the fact, fact and witnesses. Prosecution becomes a lot easier and the investigators will be happy they have done a good job.”

She frantically emphasized the council’s commitment to monitoring the implementation of the SOP, saying, “We believe in practicality. By ensuring the SOP is followed to the letter, we anticipate innovation and an increase in convictions for criminal cases in the State”.