Beyond the Macpherson Report: Managing Murder Inquiries in Context

Abstract

This paper draws upon data collected as part of a three year project examining how the police investigate murder, to criticise and develop some of the conclusions of Sir William Macpherson's report into the Stephen Lawrence investigation. It is argued that the majority of attention in the aftermath of the report has been concerned with issues of police racism, but that this ignores a potentially significant theme connected to the management practices and procedures used by the police in relation to murder inquiries. It is argued that many of the problems identified within the Macpherson report may well be systemic problems that result from the situational context in which murder investigations are performed, rather than difficulties unique to the Lawrence investigation.