Revised national guidelines for the College of Policing will allow for sacramental access at crime scenes where operationally possible following the conclusion of a working group set up in the aftermath of the murder of MP Sir David Amess.
The murder in October 2021 raised a number of questions concerning the appropriate response to granting access to priests or other ministers of religion to crime scenes for homicide or traumatic violence where the victim remains in situ.
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick and Cardinal Vincent Nichols agreed to establish a joint group to consider this and whether any changes were required to police guidance.
