Updated Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
After months of hard work negotiating with the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) and the Chief Coroner of England & Wales, and with help from our lawyers at Hogan Lovells, we finally managed to get the Murder, Manslaughter and infanticide of British Nationals Abroad: Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) agreed and published for the benefit of families bereaved by homicide abroad.
This document replaces the 2012 MoU which was instigated by us and was a ground-breaking step towards the three key Government agencies working more closely together.
The purpose of the MoU is to set out how the agencies will co-ordinate delivery of their respective functions and responsibilities in relation to deaths resulting from murder, manslaughter or infanticide of a British national whilst abroad.
The MoU seeks to provide a consistent level of service to bereaved families (something Murdered Abroad has been campaigning for decades).
The MoU states that the three Government agencies will aim to:
Support the bereaved families of British nationals who are victims of murder, manslaughter or infanticide whilst abroad
Engage with the overseas authority where the death has occurred to seek to register UK interest, facilitate communication, and encourage a professional and thorough investigation
Ensure each of the Government agencies understands the local and cultural context, and how this is likely to impact the timing and progress of investigative and judicial processes
Where the death is reported to a Coroner, ensure as far as possible that relevant material that can assist the Coroner is properly identified, requested and obtained.
This MoU only applies to England Wales. Work is now underway to introduce a similar document for families in Scotland and Northern Ireland.