Counterfeit Currency Contents Flowchart... 2 Policy statement... 3 Principles... 3 Responsibilities... 3 Additional information... 6 Counterfeit Currency Page 1 of 6
Flowchart Bag up All seized counterfeit currency should be placed in an exhibit bag, sealed and labelled correctly. All notes from that seizure can be put into one exhibit bag. The serial number for each individual note should be recorded (including any prefix letters). Occurrence #: All property & vehicles All counterfeit currency, including all foreign currencies, must only be recorded as either a crime or seized property. DO NOT record as found property. This must then be booked into your evidence store on your Niche occurrence and be given an exhibit reference and property reference number (P number). NCO1 The OIC must complete an NCO1 form which can be found on Infoshare under New, Force Forms, Crime, Counterfeit Currency, NCO1. The form must be completed FULLY on all sides and should be signed by the OIC. In section 3 (brief outline of circumstances) please briefly describe the circumstances, the enquiries that have been undertaken, the status of the investigation, and which process is being requested (i.e. Statement, Fingerprinting or Destruction) and why this process is required. Each section of the form should be completed, including the boxes at section 6. All serial numbers must be completed in the relevant box in full. Please note that section 7 (details of person(s) concerned) refers only to individuals who have been arrested, or who are suspected of committing the offence. CONFIRMED COUNTERFEIT If a statement of proof from the Bank of England/other appropriate agency is required to confirm that the currency is counterfeit, please explain this in Section 3 of the NCO1 form and select Yes next to Statement required for prosecution in Section 4 of the form. Please note that a statement can only be requested if a suspect is named or identified. You will need to add the suspect s details to section 7 of the form. Fingerprint? If fingerprint examination is required in cases where a suspect has been identified but has denied handling the counterfeit currency, and this cannot be evidenced otherwise, a Form 88 (accessed via the YaTH RSSS Intranet) must be completed in FULL and signed by your supervisor before submission. The final decision as to whether fingerprints will be authorised lies with the ECU Assessment Hub. The Form 88 (along with a completed NCO1 form) must be submitted to ECU who will consider/authorise the request. DO NOT submit the Form 88 directly to Forensic Submissions. DO NOT submit for examination if no suspects are identified. X To ECU To ECU If there are no further lines of enquiry and/or the investigation is complete, and you would like the counterfeit currency to be sent for destruction, please explain this in Section 3 of the NCO1 form and select No next to all options in Section 4 of the form. It is the OIC s responsibility, ONLY after all of the above stages have been completed, to ensure that the NCO1 form (and Form 88 if applicable) is uploaded to the reports tab on the Niche occurrence. They should then send a Niche task to the ECU Assessment Hub mailbox before submitting the exhibit, so that the form(s) can be reviewed. If the form has been filled out incorrectly, it will be returned to the OIC for reworking. The NCO1 form should be uploaded as a Word doc and the file should NOT be locked until it has been authorised by ECU. This allows amendments to be made to the original if required. Once it is correct, the ECU will authorise the submission via a Niche task and OEL entry. The authorised NCO1 form should be attached to the exhibit bag containing the counterfeit currency and then the exhibit should be submitted to the ECU for processing. It is your responsibility to advise the evidence store to submit the currency to the ECU once authority from the ECU Hub is given. IMPORTANT- All counterfeit currency MUST be hand delivered to the ECU Assessment Hub by the WYP courier via the evidence store. Counterfeit Currency Page 2 of 6
Policy Statement Summary West Yorkshire Police will ensure that counterfeit currency (notes and coins) is recorded and managed appropriately. The aims of this policy are to explain: how counterfeit currency should be handled; what forms to use for recording; and when the Economic Crime Unit (ECU) needs to be notified and/or involved. Scope This policy applies to all police officers and police staff. Principles Principles West Yorkshire Police will: Have a team within ECU which will act as a single point of contact (SPOC) regarding the management and processing of counterfeit currency. Record all counterfeit currency on Niche as either a crime or seized property (not found property) and deal with it as a potential court exhibit. Treat sites where counterfeit notes are being produced (i.e. printed on large scale commercial equipment or PC based scanners and printers and includes the finishing of printed bank notes) as crime scenes and contact the ECU SPOC team to liaise with the National Crime Agency (NCA). Where counterfeit coins are being produced (i.e. dye stamping or casting equipment), contact the SPOC team to request technical advice from the National Central Office (NCO) of the NCA in London. Not publicise cases concerning sterling currency without consulting the NCO at NCA. Contact will be made through the Force SPOC in the ECU. Submit counterfeit currency to the UKNCO at the NCA for analysis and retention before destruction. Responsibilities Investigating officers Investigating officers are responsible for: Investigating offences involving counterfeit currency with the same commitment as other acquisitive crimes where legal powers exist, including a search of a suspect s premises. Submitting counterfeit currency, together with the correctly completed National Central Office (NCO1) forms, to the SPOC team before retiring from duty for authorisation by ECU. The suspected counterfeit currency must be fully described (not be marked COUNTERFEIT ) including details Counterfeit Currency Page 3 of 6
of all the serial numbers and quantity of each on form NCO1 and NCO1c, if necessary. Do not: o submit currency without a form or it will be returned; or o complete an NCO form with only the denomination and quantity or face value of the currency indicated above. Completing and submitting all paperwork, exhibits, and packaging through their own district evidence store, which will then be delivered by WYP courier to the ECU SPOC team. Liaising with the SPOC team and NCO regarding any pre-planned operational activity, involving the production of counterfeit currency. Where appropriate, experienced officers from the NCO may be able to attend and co-ordinate further expert witness attendance. Where more than one type of counterfeit currency is recovered, i.e. Bank of England, Bank of Scotland, Irish or Euros notes, placing them in separate exhibit bags. Any other material seized should be identified as separate items and not be submitted to the SPOC team. If forensic examination of counterfeit currency is considered, completing the Form 88 which must be authorised initially by a supervisor and then submitting it for authorisation by the ECU SPOC team via a Niche task with the NCO form(s) and they will make the final decision on whether or not forensic examination will take place. No item should be sent for forensic examination without this endorsement. If forensic examination is authorised, submitting the exhibit and Form 88 with the NCO forms via the district evidence store so that they can be delivered by WYP courier to the ECU SPOC team. Evidence store Evidence store staff are responsible for: Ensuring the OIC completes and signs the NCO1 form. Sealing all currency in an exhibit bag and completing it. Ensuring all submissions have been authorised by the ECU hub via an OEL entry on the Niche occurrence and a Niche task to the OIC before they send them. Sending all submissions in a tagged mailroom bag with a continuity form attached listing all the contents of the bag (multiple submissions can be sent in one bag). Ensuring all submissions are collected and delivered by the WYP courier and signed for at every point to maintain continuity. Supervisors and line managers If forensic examination of counterfeit currency is being considered supervisors and line managers are responsible for giving due regard to using other options first since the fingerprint examination of counterfeit currency is expensive and rarely yields a positive outcome. (Due to the fact that by its very nature, paper money is often handled by many people. A speculative search is costly and unlikely to take the investigation any further forward. The ECU SPOC team are the final decision Counterfeit Currency Page 4 of 6
makers regarding the fingerprinting of counterfeit currency). SPOC team Officers from the SPOC team are responsible for: Authorising all submissions to ensure all documents are completed correctly. If completed incorrectly, these will be returned to the OIC for reworking. Authorising any forensic examination of currency. Submitting currency to the UKNCO at the NCA and obtaining statements on behalf of officers Returning witness statements (MG11) and exhibits to the investigating officer. Having a robust and auditable process for managing counterfeit currency. Ensuring that there is a secure and auditable system for the secure movement of counterfeit currency throughout the Force and to the UKNCO at the NCA. Returning genuine currency to the OIC so that it can be repaid to its owner. Counterfeit Currency Page 5 of 6
Additional Information Compliance This policy complies with the following legislation, policy and explanatory notes: APP Intelligence management APP Investigation Supporting information The supporting information for this policy can be accessed via this link. Policy Database Administration Item Details Document title: Counterfeit Currency Owner: Protective Services - Crime Author / Reviewer: Date of last review: 06/09/2016 Date of next review: 06/09/2020 The Equality and Human Rights Assessment for this policy is held on Force Registry which can be accessed via this link. The table below details revision information relating to this document: Topic title Date Tweaks to flowchart on page 2 to include all foreign 28/06/2017 currencies and Niche tasks. Removed flowchart on page to as causing confusion. 25/01/2018 Flowchart has been revised and added back into the 12/04/2018 policy. Amendments have been made throughout regarding UKNCO at the NCA and Niche tasks and occurrences rather than emails. Counterfeit Currency Page 6 of 6