Earlier this week, Detective Steve Fulcher was accused of a gross misconduct during the arrest of a taxi driver from Swindon in a double- murder case. Breaching the normal protocol during an arrest, Detective Fulcher appeared to have broken the law by denying the alleged murderer the rights of a solicitor; in an attempt to coerce further information out of the murderer. However, despite of several criticisms for his illicit behaviour in the matter, Detective Fulcher came out a hero. It appeared that the detective’s compelling conduct led to reveal further information regarding the murder of another young woman, Rebecca Godden-Edwards.
Although this valuable information acquired by the Detective did not hold in court due to his blunder; Ms Godden- Edwards’s family breathed a sigh of relief discovering the truth about their missing daughter after ten long years of living in the dark. If it wasn’t for the Detective’s probing nature, Ms Godden-Edwards’s family would have never found their teenage daughter’s body, and the events leading to her death. In her interview, the victim’s mother showed immense gratitude to the Detective and prayed that he would be let off easy. On the other hand, the court had to drop charges against the defendant (who was already sentenced to 25 years of prison) for the newly discovered murder due to the breach of policies committed by the detective. This angered the Police Department as the murderer could have suffered a harsher punishment if not for the Detective’s decision to make the wrong call.
This particular incident raises previously latent issues of misconduct of Detectives in handling matters of crime – Is it acceptable for Detectives, like Mr. Fulcher to disregard procedures imposed by law during an investigation? Even if it is for an ulterior cause, for the good of the society?
Law enforces Detectives to take matters in their hands to resolve cases and help the court to serve justice, while staying on the side of the law. Somehow in certain cases it may appear that Detectives act outside the law to procure crucial information and bring justice to the victims. Mr. Fulcher has suffered a fair amount a criticism for his unacceptable behaviour. However the Police Department has decided to keep him in service after extensive inquiry and considerations.
It’s a tough call the Detectives are required to make on their own sometimes, in situations with conflicting professional and moral values. As it may be noticed in situations like these there is a fine line between which side of the law you decide to stay on. It’s THE profession that demands an individual to go the extra mile to help serve justice while maintaining integrity and pride. Despite the controversies and criticisms, it is worth appreciating the Detective’s efforts as it has brought huge relief to Ms. Godden-Edwards’s family.
Source : http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/