Soham police face calls to resign

Two police chiefs whose forces let Soham killer Ian Huntley slip through the net will face pressure to resign with the publication of a damning report tomorrow.

Humberside chief constable David Westwood will be accused of failing to retain records of rape and underage sex allegations against Huntley, 30.

And Tom Lloyd, chief constable of Cambridgeshire, will be told his officers failed to conduct proper checks on Huntley, then mishandled the murder inquiry.

The mistakes over checks allowed Huntley, who went on to murder 10-year-olds Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, to land a job as caretaker at Soham Village College. An investigation by former Whitehall mandarin Sir Michael Bichard uncovered a series of errors in the way police checked his background before approving him to work with children.

His report will make several proposals on how vetting should be strengthened.

In a statement to the Commons, Home Secretary David Blunkett will promise a close examination of the report's recommendations. Mr Westwood and Mr Lloyd both admitted to serious failings by their forces when they gave evidence to Sir Michael's inquiry.

Both forces were rated among the six worst in Britain in a separate study by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary, published earlier this month.

Among Sir Michael's proposals could be a call for applicants seeking work with children to present "passports" proving they had undergone a positive vetting process more thorough than the current checks.

And, in a controversial move, the national police computer could be extended to hold details of allegations against suspects who have never been convicted or even charged with the offence. This would be resisted by civil liberties groups because it could lead to individuals having their careers blighted on the strength of unsubstantiated allegations which were never tested in court.

A second report due tomorrow, from former Royal Ulster Constabulary chief constable Sir Ronnie Flanagan, will examine the way Cambridgeshire police conducted the murder inquiry.

Although Huntley was caught 13 days after the murders in August 2002, and successfully prosecuted, there was concern over the way officers working under Detective Superintendent David Beck conducted the inquiry. They wasted time chasing false leads, and there were delays in checking Huntley's alibi - - which proved to be false.

Sir Ronnie's report is set to recommend that small forces like Cambridgeshire should be offered outside help at an earlier stage of major criminal investigations.

Huntley faced four allegations of rape, one of indecent assault and four of underage sex while living in Grimsby between 1995 and 1999. One rape case led to charges, which were later dropped, but Humberside police failed to retain records.