Chief pledges support for ‘lawfully audacious’ officers after Halliwell conviction

Wiltshire Police Chief Constable Mike Veale has promised to support “lawfully audacious” officers following criticism over how the force treated a detective whose actions delayed justice for a murder victim.

In a blog posted on Monday (October 3), Mr Veale said it was “inaccurate” to suggest that officers who bend rules in investigations will be made an example of, as long as they are acting in the public interest.

The chief constable was responding to complaints that Wiltshire Police had not supported former Detective Superintendent Steve Fulcher, whose breaches of protocol rendered evidence against convicted murderer Christopher Halliwell inadmissible.

Mr Veale said: “I have been an operational officer for well over half of my career and was a detective for much of it. 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.”

Halliwell, a former taxi driver from Swindon, was convicted in 2012 of murdering Sian O’Callaghan and sentenced to life imprisonment.

He was also investigated for the murder of Becky Godden, and pleaded guilty to the offence in 2011.

However, the fact that Mr Fulcher did not caution him during the arrest and breached the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) resulted in the second charge being thrown out.

Mr Fulcher was found guilty of two counts of gross misconduct and given a final written warning. He resigned from Wiltshire Police in 2014.

Halliwell was finally given a whole life sentence last month after new evidence was uncovered.

Becky’s mother, Karen Edwards, previously expressed support for Mr Fulcher, saying: “No-one would have found Sian in a million years where they found her, where he dumped her body.

“It was Steve Fulcher’s experience. Ok, he bent rules – but he bent them for good reason.”

Mr Fulcher has since claimed that Halliwell killed another six people, and named four of those he suspects were victims.

Mr Veale backed the force’s decision not to engage in speculation on this topic and denied that there were links between Halliwell and other cases.

He added that such allegations are “not helpful and very distressing to the families involved”.