Investigation case examples now included in the practice bank

The practice bank has been enhanced to include investigation case examples, giving investigators across policing access to real, court-tested cases to help identify effective lines of enquiry in their own work.

Every day, investigators develop creative and effective approaches to building cases. Too often, that expertise stays within a single force, while colleagues elsewhere may be facing the same challenges. The investigation case examples on the practice bank are designed to change that, connecting investigators with the knowledge and experience of peers across the country. 

Learn from other investigators 

The first batch of investigation case examples is now live on the practice bank, all reviewed by subject matter experts. Examples can be searched by topic, crime type or organisation, making it easier for investigators to find approaches relevant to their own work. 

Detective Chief Superintendent Jamie Daniels, Crime and Criminal Justice Delivery Lead at the College of Policing, said: 

"Sharing information and experience is absolutely central to effective policing, and the practice bank is a fantastic example of this in action. These new case examples will allow investigators to draw on proven, real-world examples to help in their own investigations, employing techniques or following lines of enquiry that they may otherwise not have been aware of. 

Allowing investigators to have proven examples of successful similar investigations at their fingertips will be invaluable in helping them to pursue new lines of enquiry, think strategically, and consider other options that might not be immediately apparent, all helping to solve crime and keep the public safe.” 

Search investigation case examples  

Share what has worked for you 

This is a living resource and it will only grow stronger with contributions from across the service. If you have an investigation case example you would like to share, we would love to hear from you. 

To be considered for inclusion, examples should:

• be new, innovative or represent good practice
• have been tested through the court process and resulted in a successful prosecution
• have made a significant contribution to the success of the case

You can submit your example through a single online form. All submissions will be acknowledged, and successful entries will be formally recognised. 

Submit your own investigation case example

Further improvements

The practice bank was launched in March 2023, and is a national resource for shared learning across policing. It's used by forces, criminal justice partners and community safety organisations. It now holds over 400 published examples and continues to grow.  

We've made a number of improvements to make the practice bank as useful as possible based on user feedback. The topic filter has been expanded from 20 to 50 policing areas, including new categories for areas like roads policing and contact management, with subheadings to help narrow searches further.

A new 'stage of practice' filter also allows users to see what level of evaluation a practice has undergone, from untested through to independently evaluated.