FOI 633/25

REQUEST

 

1. Does your force have an established policy or procedure regarding arranging professional cleaning of a property following a forensic investigation (e.g., after fingerprint dusting, bodily fluid collection, or other invasive evidence-gathering activities)?

 

2. If yes, please provide a copy of the current policy or procedure.

 

For each of the past six calendar years (2020-2025), please provide:

 

3. The number of cases where professional cleaning was arranged by the force following the investigation.

 

4. The types of location (eg residential property) for which trauma cleaning was arranged

 

5. The types of incidents where trauma cleaning was arranged (eg homicide, suicide)

 

6. Total costs for the trauma cleaning jobs

 

7. Has your force received any formal complaints from victims or property owners regarding the condition of their property after a forensic investigation in the same period? If so, please provide:

 

8. The number of complaints per year.

 

9. A summary of the nature of complaints (if available).

 

10. Which companies or contractors has your force used to carry out professional cleaning services following forensic investigations in the past five years?

 

11. In cases where your force did not arrange professional cleaning, is there a policy or guidance that leaves responsibility for cleaning to the victim or property owner? Please provide details or a copy of this guidance if it exists.

 

12. Has your force encountered situations in the past five years where professional cleaning should have been arranged but was not? If so, please provide a summary of any internal reviews, findings, or actions taken as a result.

 

RESPONSE

 

We consulted with our Estates department who have provided the following information regarding your request.

 

Please note, South Wales Police can only provide the following from 1/10/2023 when Solo Cleaning was awarded the contract.

Question 1 and 2

 

Please see the following attached documents;

 

• SWP 11.78 Infection Control Clean Selgiene
• SWP 11.17 Removal of Bodily Spillages
• Scenes of Crime Methodology
• CRIME SCENE DECONTAMINATION CLEANFlowchart SOLO Cleaning Services 2nd October 2023

 

Question 3

 

Year	Total
23/24	3
24/25	5

 

 

Question 4

 

All trauma cleaning was arranged for residential addresses.

 

Question 5

 

Solo cleaning and Estates Department are not privy to this information, Solo are informed of the room/s to be cleaned and if they are blood stained etc.

 

Question 6

 

Each Crime Scene Clean costs £150

 

Question 7

 

One complaint that the cleaning standard could have been much better and items to be moved to allow cleaning. Unless requested in advance by SOCO or OIC no personal items would be moved by operatives in a crime scene clean.

 

Question 8

 

There has been 1 complaint within the requested time frame.

 

Question 9

 

Please see response in question 7

 

Continued…

 

Question 10

 

Solo cleaning services was contracted from 1/10/2023 to present.

 

Glen cleaning company prior to 1/10/2023

 

Question 11

 

South Wales Police does not arrange crime scene cleaning for local authority premises

 

Question 12

 

No, South Wales Police has not had any encounters.