A chief constable has hit back at criticism of his force over its handling of the investigation into the suspected serial killer Christopher Halliwell.
Mike Veale, the chief constable of Wiltshire police, denied that his officers had failed to work with other forces over Halliwell, who has been given a whole life term for the murders of the Swindon women Sian O’Callaghan and Becky Godden.
Veale also criticised the media for naming other possible victims of Halliwell, a taxi driver, claiming that speculation had traumatised the families of the identified women.
He defended the way the force managed former Det Supt Steve Fulcher, who caught Halliwell but faced disciplinary proceedings over how he had interviewed the killer and subsequently left the force.
Chief Constable Mike Veale responds to recent media coverage on Halliwell case https://t.co/m4bb3NNx9R
— Wiltshire Police (@wiltshirepolice) October 3, 2016
Following Halliwell’s conviction last month for the murder of Godden, Wiltshire police made it clear they strongly believed he may have killed others.
Fulcher is among those who have criticised his former force for its apparent lack of action in investigating Halliwell in the five years since he was captured in 2011 and the four since he admitted killing O’Callaghan.
He told the Guardian last week that as soon as Halliwell was caught it was clear to him that he was a serial killer, but he claimed little had been done to check for other cases Halliwell could be connected to.
Veale said it was not true that Wiltshire police had not liaised with other forces to identify potential links to Halliwell.
He said: “At the time of Halliwell’s arrest all forces were notified of the circumstances of both murders and the facts that were known at the time. This is in line with good investigative practice.”
Veale said the force had also engaged with the National Crime Agency and its serious-case analysis section. “The national database ensures that all similar offences are shared,” he said.
But Veale added: “At this time Wiltshire police has not uncovered any links between Halliwell and any other murders across the country.”
The chief constable expressed concern that other possible victims had been named.
He said: “There has been much speculation in the press in relation to other women who may or may not have been a victim of Halliwell. This speculation is not helpful and is very distressing to the families involved.
“This was reinforced to me when I spoke to the mothers of some of those named during the coverage of this case, who told me they had been traumatised and distressed by this unfounded speculation involving their loved ones.”
Fulcher was disciplined after it emerged that he had not followed rules laid down in Pace – the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 – on how to question suspects when Halliwell was arrested.
In his interview with the Guardian, Fulcher argued that in the situation he was in, the rights of a victim – he incorrectly believed at the time O’Callaghan was still alive – outweighed those of a suspect.
Writing in his monthly newsletter, Veale said Pace was brought in to protect the human rights of people who come into contact with the police and replaced rules that led to “unethical behaviour” and “miscarriages of justice”.
“This is something we should never forget and should protect against at all costs,” he said. “Pace has been in now for approximately 30 years … it maintains ethical and lawful police investigative actions which in turn safeguards the rights of individuals.”
He said that officers who were “lawfully audacious” would be backed by the force. Addressing his own officers, he said: “Be lawfully audacious and I will support you. Do the right thing and I will support you. Remain ethical in your endeavours and I will support you. Follow the values and I will support you. Protect the public as best as you are able and I will support you. Why? Because it is the right thing to do and we are in this together.”
