PG tells Police not to discard non-prosecuted case documents

The Prosecutor General's Office (PG Office) has today directed Police to not discard or destroy any documents related to criminal cases, including those not being prosecuted, without prior authorization from the PG Office. 

Recent amendments to the regulations on handling Police records allow documents related to criminal cases that are not put forward for prosecution to be destroyed after one year. 

In a statement today, the PG Office noted that the law allows for certain instances where documents from non-prosecuted cases may be used in other separate cases. 

With this in mind, the PG Office is now drafting instructions for investigative authorities on the destruction of documents related to non-prosecuted cases, the statement said. 

Until such advice is shared, no original documents related to any criminal cases must be destroyed, the PG office instructed Police.