Report proposes automatic reviews of convictions linked to jailed police officers in England and Wales

A proposed automatic safeguard

A new report is calling for convictions involving police officers who are later imprisoned to be reviewed automatically in England and Wales. The proposed measure, called Trew’s law, would trigger an immediate independent examination of earlier cases in which the officer’s integrity or evidence was material. Its goal is to prevent victims from spending decades discovering misconduct and trying to reopen unsafe convictions themselves.

The proposal is named after Winston Trew, one of the Oval Four, who was framed by the corrupt and racist British Transport Police officer Derek Ridgewell. Trew’s conviction was eventually quashed in 2019 after a campaign lasting nearly half a century. Ridgewell was jailed in 1980 for stealing mailbags, but authorities did not then begin a comprehensive review of convictions connected to his police work.

From discretion to a defined trigger

Existing prosecution guidance recognises that review may be necessary when an important witness, including a police officer, is later discredited. The report argues that this discretionary system is opaque and inconsistent. Researchers found no central mechanism recording which imprisoned officers had their earlier cases examined, whether defendants were notified, or what those reviews concluded.

Under the proposed model, triage would focus resources on cases where the officer provided witness evidence, prepared important investigative records, handled exhibits or controlled disclosure. Peripheral or purely administrative involvement would not automatically require a full review. Where investigators identified a material threat to a conviction’s safety, affected people would receive notice and relevant disclosure so that they could obtain legal advice promptly.

The policy question has consequences beyond historic cases. The report identified at least 64 serving or former officers who received immediate prison terms between 2023 and 2026 for offences including serious dishonesty, violence and abuse of position. An automatic trigger could expose additional unsafe convictions, but it would also require clear responsibility, resources, data-sharing and safeguards against delaying meritorious cases.

Government response is the next step

The Ministry of Justice had been approached for comment when the report appeared. The government has previously accepted targeted reviews where undisclosed police activity may have affected convictions, while its compensation statistics show that financial redress is neither automatic nor available merely because a person alleges injustice. The immediate question is whether ministers or parliamentarians adopt the proposal and assign reviews to an existing or new independent body. This is a justice-policy development and carries no military alert.