Investigative Skills - Critical Incidents PDF

Police College INV15 INV14 Investigative Skills Critical Incidents Introduction The police service must continue to build and retain the confidence and trust which is essential to successful policing. The quality of our re...

Police College INV15 INV14 Investigative Skills Critical Incidents Introduction The police service must continue to build and retain the confidence and trust which is essential to successful policing. The quality of our response to all incidents underpins this. Any incident, where the effectiveness of the police response is likely to have a significant impact on the confidence of the victim, their family and/or the community. Meaning of Terms Key terms in the definition are: 1. Any – key word in the definition as it can be any type of incident or report police respond to. 2. Effectiveness - this is a measure of the professionalism, competence and integrity evident in the police response to an incident. 3. Likely – high probability of taking place, not maybe or possibly. All incidents that police deal with could have a significant impact. 4. Significant impact - ‘significant’ should be interpreted as being particular to each incident but critically relates to the ‘negative’ impact felt by the victim, family or community. 5. Confidence - This is a reference to long-term confidence in policing – of victims, families and communities. OFFICIAL [SENSITIVE] Page 138  Police College INV15 INV14 Confidence in the police response starts with the first point of contact (FPOC) between the police service and the person contacting the police or making the initial report. This continues through every stage of the police response. Consequently, when responding to an incident, police officers and staff must: 1. Ensure that their own response and decisions are consistent with police service standards for the incident. 2. Assess if there are any critical elements present that may impact on the way the police response is perceived. 3. Identify any indication of concern about the effectiveness of the police response. Internal or External Factor A wide range of incidents or operations have the capability to become a critical incident including anti-social behaviour, hate crime, pre-planned events or internal incidents. A critical incident can be internal or external to the police service. A critical incident with internal factors is one in which the principal ‘stakeholders’ are employed by the police service, for example bullying, discrimination, corruption or other inappropriate behaviour, as well as the death or serious injury of a colleague. Whilst police service employees are also members of the wider NI community; it is also important to recognise that police service employees actually constitute a distinct community internally – one whose confidence we also need to make every effort to retain and develop. The way in which such incidents are dealt with clearly has the potential to impact on their confidence in their own organisation’s (the police) response. The process of dealing with a critical incident internally follows the same principles of dealing with a critical incident externally. OFFICIAL [SENSITIVE] Page 139  Police College INV15 INV14 Types of Critical Incident (external) The following 2 local incidents were both ratified as critical incidents. Case Study - Lyra McKee On 18th April 2019, Lyra McKee, a journalist from Northern Ireland was fatally shot during rioting in the Creggan area of Londonderry/ Derry. The murder of Lyra was attributed to the NEW IRA and the effectiveness of the police response, both in the immediate days and the investigate follow up over the following months had an impact on the confidence of the victim, their families and the community. Case Study - ATM Thefts A spate of 12 attacks on ATMs was carried out right across Northern Ireland in early 2023. Whilst some were unsuccessful, all resulted in some form of criminal damage to machine or property. The police response to the thefts heightened community concerns and undermined communities’ confidence in the ability of the police to prevent disorder. Anti-social behaviour (ASB) The following case was linked to repeated and persistent Anti-Social Behaviour. Case study – Fiona Pilkington The Fiona Pilkington case had its origins in harassment and ASB. Fiona and her daughter suffered frequent and sustained local disorder, often directed at their home, over a period of several years. This was reported to the police, but ‘incidents were too often dealt with by police officers in isolation and with an unstructured approach’ (IPCC, 2011). This and other factors, such as not identifying the family as vulnerable, and not recognizing the ASB and harassment as targeted hate crime, caused frustration. Fiona eventually took her own life and that of her disabled daughter, Francesca. Hate Crime Other incidents, may not involve violence or threats of violence, but can also develop into a critical incident if not managed appropriately. OFFICIAL [SENSITIVE] Page 140  Police College INV15 INV14 Case study – Big Brother During the Channel Four television show Big Brother, contestant Shilpa Shetty was subjected to racist comments from other housemates. The national and international media profile of this programme meant that Hertfordshire Constabulary were brought under intense pressure to act quickly and effectively. A failure to react quickly enough exposed the force to criticism, and undermined public confidence that the police took such behaviour seriously. Types of Critical Incident (Internal) Case studies of internal critical incidents The following case studies provide examples of internal critical incidents which have had a significant impact both internally and externally. In addition to these high- profile cases, there are many which do not come to public attention, e.g., professional conduct or disciplinary matters, but which also have an impact on police officers and staff during their careers. Case study 1 In July 2009 two police dogs were left in a car during a heat wave and died. This incident not only had an impact on those immediately affected within the organisation, but also on the national police community who, until this point, had a positive reputation for animal welfare issues. It also had an effect on the wider local community who, the previous year, had been involved in an appeal for puppies to be trained for police work. Case study 2 In January 2011 an undercover officer offered to give evidence on behalf of the defence during a case against environmental activists. The publicity this case received not only raised concerns that the officer had ‘gone native’, but also that the police were carrying out unnecessary undercover operations. The officer had infiltrated the group, had been an active member of it for seven years and been involved in protests such as the G8 protest in Gleneagles in 2005. This case raised a number of questions internally and externally which undermined public and ministerial confidence in police undercover activities, their deployment, purpose and effectiveness. It also had a direct impact on officers and their families, who need to have confidence in the police service to appropriately deploy and OFFICIAL [SENSITIVE] Page 141  Police College INV15 INV14 manage such officers. Critical or Major Incidents A ‘major incident’ is distinct from a critical incident however an incident can be both. A major incident is an emergency that requires the implementation of special arrangements by one or more of the emergency services, and generally includes the involvement, either directly or indirectly, of large numbers of people. (PSNI Guidance on Emergency Procedures, 2010 refers). This normally involves some immediate impact on public safety, disruption and/ or risk, and has to be immediately managed and contained, involving a wide scale deployment of multi-agency resources not just police. An example could include a gas explosion with people being injured. In order to deal with such an incident the police service, fire service, ambulance service, hospitals, the gas suppliers and other local agencies may be involved. Major Incidents, by their nature, can on occasions lead to a public enquiry where the actions of all responders may be scrutinised at length. The incident status could change at any point so that even if it has been closed, it can be re-opened as a critical incident if a confidence issue emerges. All officers or members of police staff dealing with an incident (which will include call handlers and first responders) should continually ask themselves: What am I dealing with? What might it develop into? What impact might this incident have on the confidence of the victim, their family, and / or the community? Role of the first point of contact The first point of contact (FPOC) for a critical incident could be anyone within the Police Service regardless of their role. Their initial actions and decisions taken could have a OFFICIAL [SENSITIVE] Page 142  Police College INV15 INV14 significant impact on the confidence that the complainant has in our response. In all cases basic principles apply and early advice should be sought from a supervisor if the FPOC assesses it may be, or is likely to become, a critical incident. The first point of contact should: a. Establish relevant information and share with those responding; b. Inform the supervisor on duty as soon as possible when an incident is identified as critical or potentially so, even if the incident has been dealt with and closed; c. Identify whether critical factors are present which may cause loss of confidence in the police response. Where confidence issues in the police response are raised, take steps to resolve them as soon as possible; d. Update Control Works to ensure that the log reflects actions taken. Good early identification of critical incidents allows the PSNI to manage the situation to reduce the impact on community confidence than would otherwise be the case. Without community confidence our role becomes increasingly difficult so it should be considered at every incident we attend. Critical Incidents are managed at a Gold level with a Chief Superintendent/ ACC/DCC overseeing, depending on the nature of the incident. In simple terms this oversight provides: 1. Focus and structure – ensures the issue is prioritised. 2. Provides oversight, support and validation. 3. Provides structure, records and accountability. 4. Provides access to more/ specialist resource. 5. Assurance that learning and prevention of future mistakes are shared. OFFICIAL [SENSITIVE] Page 143  Police College INV15 INV14 Restoring Public Confidence It is not uncommon for police to be criticised but it should not be directly aligned to loss of confidence of the victim, their family and/ or community. The importance of public confidence is directly related to legislation applicable to PSNI, Section 31 of the Police Act 200 reminds us that Police officers shall carry out their functions with the aim: (a) Of securing support of the local community and (b) Of acting in cooperation with the local community Reassuring and maintaining confidence is fundamental to our critical incident considerations – as is restoring confidence when it’s lost. Further Information: http://psniplayer:82/linkCheck.aspx?v_id=2318&key=6RK8Q81K2K8R09ZGSMKWMD2 V6 OFFICIAL [SENSITIVE] Page 144