Detectives recruit public to help solve murders

West Yorkshire Police will ask up to 60 members of the public to assist murder squad detectives by taking exhibits from crime scenes and carrying out door-to-door enquiries. The volunteers will join the force's Homicide and Major Enquiry Team (HMET), which has investigated some of the region's most notorious cases, including the 1975 murder of Lesley Molseed and the abduction of Dewsbury schoolgirl Shannon Matthews. Senior officers say the move will give laymen a "wonderful opportunity" to see how serious crimes are solved, while giving detectives more time to concentrate on priority work. But rank-and-file police fear that involving inexperienced people in major investigations could lead to criminals being let off the hook. West Yorkshire Police Federation chairman Michael Downes said: "Having volunteers helping to build and maintain relationships within communities is something we would welcome, but having them conduct house-to-house enquiries is clearly the role of a police officer. "The real danger is that an unskilled person conducting any interviews may miss something that results in a crime remaining undetected or crucial evidence being lost. "We would not be concerned if volunteers were assisting and working alongside police officers, but we would be concerned if the roles they were undertaking were roles normally undertaken by police officers." As well as transporting exhibits and speaking to witnesses, volunteers will be asked to help prepare files, proof-read statements and recover CCTV footage. The scheme is open to anyone over 18 with no convictions. HMET head Detective Chief Superintendent Max McLean said successful applicants could start within weeks after being vetted and interviewed. He said volunteers would not replace detectives, but would work alongside them under their direction, meaning that, for example, an officer who currently makes house-to-house enquiries on his own would be assisted by a member of the public. "HMET is one of the most challenging areas of policing, dealing with some of the worst possible crimes," Mr McClean added. "Volunteers will bring added value to the work carried out by the current team and will help us to engage with the communities that are affected by serious crime. "We welcome adults of all ages from all backgrounds and would encourage them to take up this exciting opportunity and reap the rewards that police work has to offer." West Yorkshire Police's officer recruitment has slowed in recent months in response to growing fears over anticipated cuts in public spending. But Mr McLean denied that the volunteer scheme was linked to budget pressures, insisting that HMET had been planning it for a long time. "This has nothing to do with the recession," he said, adding: "I am looking for people with life experience who can bring extra skills and extra capacity to our team. In return we will offer them a full part of the team environment and a wonderful opportunity to build a career and gain experience in an area of policing that many people find fascinating." Volunteers will be allocated to one of the operational teams or support units within HMET, which employs almost 250 staff. Senior officers will outline the scheme at two open evenings to be held in the Lecture Theatre at Bishopgarth Training School, Westfield Road, Wakefield. The sessions will take place between 7pm and 8pm on Monday, March 8 and Thursday, March 11. Prospective applicants should register at www.policevolunteers.co.uk.