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FORCE
PROCEDURES
Critical Incident Management
Procedure Reference Number: 2009.17
Procedure Author:
A/Chief Superintendent
John Armstrong
Procedure Review Date:
March 2010
At the time of ratifying this procedure, the author is satisfied that this document
complied with relevant legislation and Force requirements.
Sign and date
J Armstrong, 22/03/09
(Author(s))
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Critical Incident Management
Procedure Index
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1.
Responsibilities ....................................................................................................3
2.
2.1
2.2
2.3
2.4
Guidance ...............................................................................................................4
Identification of Critical Incidents ............................................................................6
Preparing for a Critical Incident ..............................................................................8
Responding to a Critical Incident..........................................................................11
Restoring Public Confidence
3.
Procedure Aim ....................................................................................................11
4.
Appeals ...............................................................................................................12
5.
Review .................................................................................................................12
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1.
Responsibilities
1.1
It is the responsibility of chief officers, heads of department and area command
teams to ensure all incidents to which the police respond are subject to effective
assessment, supervision and management.
1.2
It is the responsibility of chief officers and those involved in the commissioning and
implementing of training to ensure all staff receive appropriate training on critical
incident management which includes a clear understanding of the concept of a
critical incident, the importance of effectively dealing with critical incidents and the
terminology associated with critical incidents.
1.3
It is the responsibility of all police officers and all members of police staff to do their
utmost to ensure their individual responses to an incident is right first time and right
every time.
1.4
It is the responsibility of all members of Cheshire Constabulary to act at all times in
line with the stated force values in order to ensure their individual actions do not
compromise the reputation of the Constabulary.
1.5
Furthermore, should any police officer or member of staff feel they do not have the
necessary skills, competency or experience to adequately assess a developing
situation; it is their individual responsibility to refer the assessment to a supervisor
or line manager.
1.6
It is the responsibility of all officers with designated roles and responsibilities (such
as Senior Investigating Officers, Firearms Commanders) to discharge their
responses to critical incidents in line with legislation, policies, and recognised
professional practices aligned to such roles and responsibilities.
1.7
It is the particular responsibility of all officers and staff engaged in neighbourhood
policing to instil, maintain and promote community engagement strategies that
encourage communication, understanding and awareness of policing responses to
the widest range of policing services.
1.8
It is the responsibility of the Heads of Uniform Operations and Crime Operations to
develop and maintain effective protective services in support of Area policing in
dealing with critical incidents.
1.9
It is the responsibility of duty response inspectors, force incident managers, and
senior officers to establish effective command structures to identified critical
incidents, including the implementation as appropriate of a Gold, Silver and Bronze
structure together with effective command and control proportionate to the
complexity, size, longevity and nature of any particular critical incident.
1.10
It is the responsibility of chief officers to ensure the strategic management of
identified critical incidents, utilising Gold Groups, Independent Advisory Group (IAG)
members and external partners as appropriate.
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1.11
It is a further responsibility of chief officers and senior officers to ensure clear lines
of accountability and the accurate recording of actions, decision making and
supporting rationale around the response to critical incidents.
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2.
Guidance
2.1
Identification of Critical Incidents
2.1.1 The definition of a critical incident - “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” - is deliberately broad and ensures the inclusion
of those incidents with a potential to become critical if not identified and handled
properly. The definition recognises the fundamental importance of community
confidence, and applies equally to internal incidents as well as operational
responses.
2.1.2 Many incidents such as homicide investigations, serious injury sustained in repeat
incidents of domestic violence, serious child sexual abuse, and high risk vulnerable
missing persons are not critical incidents in themselves but have a high likelihood of
consequences that invariably lead to being a declared critical incident due to the
nature or profile of the event.
2.1.3 Similarly, the Constabulary has a well-defined system of operational responses to
incidents classified and declared as either major incidents (any emergency that
requires the implementation of special arrangements by one or more of the
emergency services, the NHS or the local authority in respect of road closures,
evacuation, number of casualties etc), or serious incidents (any incident that has
the potential to develop into a major incident). These in themselves do not
necessarily turn out to be critical incidents.
2.1.4 The identification of any critical incident – or a potential critical incident – can take
place at the earliest possible opportunity, such as at the time of receipt of an initial
999 emergency or non-emergency call to the Call Management Bureau. Incident
and response management supervision at Resource Deployment Centre, targeted
patrol officer or investigating officer level provides opportunity for supervisory
officers to assess the criticality of any developing incident.
2.1.5 All officers and members of police staff dealing with an incident (including call
handlers and initial response officers) must routinely ask themselves:
• What am I dealing with?
• What might it develop into?
• What impact might this incident have (and on whom?)
• Whom should I tell if I think this incident might escalate in its criticality?
2.1.6 Line managers and senior officers notified of an incident that is (or has the potential
to become) a critical incident must determine:
• Whether the report is valid
• What level of resource deployment strategies will deliver an effective
response
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•
Whether to escalate the incident to the attention of more senior or chief
officers
2.1.7 The on-duty or on-call Chief Officer will review and ratify a decision to declare and
treat an incident as a critical incident. Objective assessments throughout the
escalation of an incident should be based on a consideration of why the
effectiveness of the police response is likely to have a significant impact on public
confidence, and in respect of exactly which particular element (victim, their family,
and/or community) falls within the definition of a critical incident.
2.1.8 It is important to understand that any incident brought to the attention of the force
from whatever source or by whatever medium has a potential to be a critical
incident if appropriate levels of response are not put into place at the earliest
opportunity.
2.1.9 Cheshire Constabulary has a wide range of incident management and deployment
policies and procedures with varying degrees of supervisory oversight. There are
well-established general response and specialist support structures at both Area
level and at Force level to gauge, monitor, assess and task any resources required
to deal with developing incidents and criminal investigations. Such responses have
been refined under Quest methodology for improving service provision. Equally
well-established 24/7 command and control frameworks are in place to ensure
ready access to on duty silver commanders and on duty and on-call senior
detectives.
2.1.10 The fact that an incident has been identified as a potential critical incident should
not undermine the deployment of an escalating and well-managed response in line
with standard recognised procedures (e.g. within the Force Major Investigation
Team, Public Protection Units, Disaster Victim Recovery procedures, fatal road
traffic collision procedures etc).
2.1.11 An incident should not be declared as critical simply because of the likelihood of
police action being criticised. The decision to declare a critical incident should be
based on the overall effectiveness of the police response and the breadth and
depth of impact on community, family or victim confidence.
2.1.12 Declaring a critical incident adds an additional layer of leadership, management and
quality assurance to identify the action required to maintain, improve or recover
public confidence.
2.1.13 Indeed, chief officers are obliged to ensure that critical incidents are only declared
when it is necessary and appropriate to do so, and proportionate to the scale of the
incident.
2.1.14 Examples of critical incidents declared within the Cheshire Constabulary in recent
times include:
• The response to a vulnerable missing teenager
• The response to the shooting of a doorman
• The response to a missing person believed responsible for a sex offence
• The response to the death of an child at the hands of a carer
• The response to the death of a member of the travelling community
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2.1.15 There are significant numbers of homicide investigations, enquiries into vulnerable
missing persons, professional standards investigations, post incident procedures
implemented following deaths in police custody or following police contact that were
not declared critical. This simply illustrates that each incident must be
assessed on its own merits.
2.1.16 Whenever a critical incident is identified, prompt and effective management will
provide the Constabulary with the best chance of retaining or recovering the
confidence of the victim, the family of the victim and/or the wider community.
2.2
Preparing for a Critical Incident
2.2.1 Effective training enables Cheshire Constabulary to prepare for managing critical
incidents, not least as a means of ensuring as far as possible that the policing
response to all requests for service is properly assessed and that officers and staff
tasked to respond and deal with incidents have access to relevant and timely
intelligence, information and supervision.
2.2.2 The Constabulary has invested in enhanced training for call handlers, and a
performance regime exists to monitor and improve the quality of call management.
Response officers have scaled training days to keep abreast of developing policies
and force procedures.
2.2.3 The Resource Deployment Centre has an additional layer of supervision on Area
based ‘Pods’ with a dedicated sergeant providing a direct link between resource
deployment and incident management, particularly in respect of Grade 1 and Grade
2 responses, and for monitoring the appropriateness of calls graded as suitable for
a pre-arranged appointment.
2.2.4 The Force Incident Manager oversees all current incidents and is responsible for
directing action on those incidents tagged for his or her attention as a means of
filtering for potential escalation due to the nature or profile of the incident
concerned. The Force Incident Manager has immediate command and control
access to specialist resource and on-call or duty specialist officers, tactical advisors,
press and media officers, and silver and gold commanders.
2.2.5 The force has daily tasking mechanisms at both Area and force level, a main
function of which is to afford Area based senior leadership team and force level
managers with briefings, information and oversight of those incidents escalating in
criticality, and which serve as a means of developing and monitoring strategy,
tactics, policy, and the direction of appropriate levels of resources. These videoconferenced daily tasking meetings afford opportunities for supervision at all levels
to identify, monitor and apply requisite scrutiny over those incidents where a
potential to have critical consequences and which may not have been previously
escalated.
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2.2.6 The Constabulary’s investment in Atlas record management and data warehousing
maximises the force’s ability to capture, link and recall relevant and timely
intelligence and information to inform incident management and investigation.
Increasingly rigorous application of Management of Police Information principles
reduces the likelihood of information based errors. The more recent availability of
mobile data is a further step to reduce vulnerability by increasing officers with
instant access to relevant intelligence.
2.2.7 The Constabulary’s adherence to principles of strategic and tactical analysis and
profiling under the National Intelligence model (NIM) and Area and Force based
tasking and coordinating groups that bring together Level 1 and Level 2 resource
affords an opportunity to plan and minimise risk from developing series of incidents
or from specific investigations or operations. The Constabulary is able to attract
regional assets and commission inter-force or inter-agency collaboration or mutual
aid where appropriate as a means of addressing emerging criticality.
2.2.8 The Constabulary also makes significant investment in front line supervision and
senior officers and managers in critical incident management, through the elements
of the Core Leadership Development Programme and the NPIA Senior Leadership
Development Programme, including senior officer attendance on Critical Incident
Command courses. Increasing investment in national accreditation for specialist
roles such as Senior Investigating Officers, Silver Firearms Commanders, Post
Incident Managers, and other tactical roles at command and advisor level afford
suitably high levels of professionalism required for the identification and
management of critical incidents at Gold, Silver and Bronze levels.
2.2.9 Cheshire Constabulary has specific procedures for dealing with the policing of
incidents with high probabilities of critical consequences, such as the management
of threats to life, firearms related intelligence, homicide investigation, missing from
home procedure, domestic incident response, harassment procedure, responding to
suspected child sexual abuse, and the management of risk from sex offenders in
the community. These, together with developed policies and procedures in fair and
equitable policing and managing race and diversity also contributes to the
Constabulary’s preparations to ensure the potential for any lack of a policing
response could be a catalyst for escalating routine incidents to critical incidents.
2.2.10 Neighbourhood policing and partnership working form the foundation on which the
force operates within its communities and the utilisation of key individual networks,
community engagement strategies and improved understanding and use of
community impact assessments ensures the force is prepared for dealing with
those incidents which prove critical to public confidence. Together with increased
investment in protective services, this emphasis on community policing ensures the
force is as well placed as it can be to address overall preparedness for the
identification and management of critical incidents.
2.2.11 The Constabulary’s Diversity Advisory Unit, Area Community Race Relations
Inspectors and dedicated Hate Crime Advisor provide knowledge and
understanding of how different incidents can affect people from diverse
backgrounds and can advise on the appropriate policing response to a number of
operational and organisational incidents.
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2.3
Responding to a Critical Incident
2.3.1 The significance of the impact of a critical incident on a victim, their family or the
community - irrespective of the effectiveness or otherwise of the police response - is
often subjective and cannot be predicted.
2.3.2 In responding to a critical incident, it is imperative officers assess not only the
circumstances of the incident, but also the wider emotional, mental or physical
impact on victims, their family and the community and make this assessment in the
context of general feelings of security or vulnerability.
2.3.3 Whilst the Constabulary has control over the professionalism and integrity of any
response to a critical incident, it is much more difficult to predict the extent of or
reason behind any impact. It is therefore important to gauge and assess specific
and general feelings of tension or vulnerability.
2.3.4 A dynamic Community Impact Assessment is an essential element of any response
to a developing critical incident. More detailed assessments can and will be made
as an incident matures and develops, but the initial assessment is vital in ensuring
a proportionate response and the correct level of escalation. In brief, the following
elements will need to be considered:
(1) Potential impact on community tensions (with an assessment of the imminency
of any raised impact). In other words, what might happen as a result of the
critical incident?
(2) An assessment of specific risks to individuals, (e.g. victim, associates,
witnesses, family, specific sections of the community, community groups or the
community in general)
(3) Tactical actions undertaken or to be considered to mitigate or reduce identified
risks
(4) A summary of the experienced impact on individuals, specific sections of the
communities, community groups or the community in general. In other words,
how are individuals or communities feeling about the critical incident or as a
result of the critical incident?
(5) A summary of the evidenced impact on individuals, specific sections of the
communities, community groups or the community in general. In other words,
what does our information or intelligence tell us is actually happening as a
result of the critical incident?
(6) A summary of details of any internal or external consultation
2.3.5 A template for a Community Impact Assessment is currently held on the PROMs
database on Lotus Notes. The format of the Community Impact Assessment is less
important than the quality of the breadth and depth of the thought and reasoning in
assessing the true impact of a critical incident on the community (or groups within
the community). The Community Impact Assessment acts also as a record of
decision making and a review of actions taken to address specific risks and
concerns.
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2.3.6 Where a critical incident is declared, there should be unambiguous command and
control with clear lines of accountability. An appropriate Gold Commander (ACPO)
Silver Commander (Area or Force Operations Command Team or locum
superintendent), and Bronze Commander(s) (specialist officer(s), usually at the
rank of chief inspector, inspector or sergeant) will be put into place, with the
rationale ratified in decision logs.
2.3.7 Consideration will be given to the requirement or otherwise of a specialist silver
control, with involvement of other agencies or partners as appropriate.
2.3.8 A Gold Group can provide the Gold Commander with valuable consultation and
support for decision making, and will assist in the coordination of the response of
other agencies, provide links with local communities and other legitimate interested
parties. A Gold Group is strategic in nature. Meetings should be as frequently as
required, and will be formally minuted. Membership and content can and will vary.
Members of the Constabulary’s Independent Advisory Group invariably contribute to
Gold Groups.
2.3.9 A protocol exists between Chief Officers and Cheshire Police Authority for briefings
and consultation in respect of declared critical incidents.
2.3.10 Where a critical incident involves a specific victim or family of a victim, particular
consideration must be given to engendering positive relationships and
communication channels that meet the needs of the family and the investigation.
2.3.11 In many cases it will be clearly evident that a dedicated trained Family Liaison
Officer or officers are to be deployed in line with the Constabulary’s procedure on
the use and deployment of Family Liaison Officers. In all case where family liaison
is contemplated, the Head of the Force Major Incident Team or a Force Major
Incident Team Senior Investigating Officer should be consulted prior to any
deployment to ensure a specific family liaison strategy is developed in line with
Cheshire Constabulary family liaison procedure, national standards and recognised
good practice.
2.3.12 Irrespective of the intention and the effectiveness of a family liaison strategy, on
occasions some families and victims will not wish to deal directly with the police,
and may choose to do so using legal representative or other intermediaries. The
family liaison strategy should recognise the potential for this and respond and react
accordingly in the best interests of the family and the ongoing and future
management of the response to the critical incident.
2.3.13 Community engagement – involving the community or relevant sections or
representatives of the community – in the management of a critical incident is an
essential element in reducing the impact of a critical incident, returning to normality
and restoring and maintaining public confidence in a policing response.
2.3.14 Incident Commanders will ensure neighbourhood policing units, corporate
communications and any relevant Independent Advisory Group members are fully
involved in tailoring, implementing and reviewing an engagement strategy.
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2.3.15 An effective media strategy is an essential element of the Constabulary’s response
to a critical incident. The Head or deputy head of Corporate Communications will be
responsible for working with silver and gold commanders and Area command teams
to ensure the media strategy takes into account the experiences of victims, families
and communities; informs, anticipates or where necessary, reacts to media
interpretation, analysis and reporting; and considers how best to utilise the media to
progress any investigation and the subsequent management of the incident.
2.4
Restoring Public Confidence
2.4.1 Where there is evidence or a loss of public confidence in the police response to a
critical incident, or where there is a perception of such a loss of confidence, the
initial objective will be to restore confidence in the ability of the police to provide an
effective response.
2.4.2 The five key aspects of restoring public confidence (as set out in the previous
section) are:
(1) a thorough and objective Community Impact Assessment with appropriate levels
of consultation
(2) appropriate tactical plans to progress the investigation into the incident (or the
ongoing response to the incident in question)
(3) a media strategy
(4) a community engagement strategy
(5) a family liaison strategy
2.4.3 The restoration of public confidence will also invariably involve a swift and suitably
thorough review of the lead up to the incident, the cause or causes of the incident,
the appropriateness of the policing response, and will include the manner in which
the force identifies, disseminates and acts upon organisational learning.
2.4.4 Cheshire Constabulary has a Major Crime Review Team with expertise in the
reviews of major and serious crime; reviewing police and other agency response to
safeguarding children; and domestic homicide reviews. The Constabulary also has
a review capability within the Performance Improvement Department.
2.4.5 The early involvement of the Professional Standards Department will assist the
Constabulary to ascertain the correct level and nature of any investigation or review
where either misconduct or the performance of duties of one or more individual
officers or members of staff may be an issue. Professional Standards will provide a
link to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) where more serious
issues are evident. Certain incidents have to be referred to the IPCC by statute;
those falling outside a mandatory referral are governed by a consideration of
whether such a referral will assist in the maintenance or restoration of public
confidence.
2.4.6 Early consideration will also be given to how the Constabulary could and should
work with partner agencies to contribute to either their internal reviews into causes
or effects of critical incidents, or indeed with wider social agencies or government
departments to tackle longer-term issues.
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2.4.7 Irrespective of whether any formal internal or external review is required or
commissioned as a result of any critical incident, or where an incident escalating
towards being declared a critical incident is diverted by the appropriate escalation of
the policing response, an essential element of restoring confidence will be the ability
of the force to capture all relevant learning, which starts with a de-briefing process.
2.4.8 The responsibility for ensuring a welfare debrief sits with the relevant incident
commanders, in partnership with Area or Departmental Command teams, using the
advice, guidance and support of the force welfare department as required.
2.4.9 Uniform Operations within Force Operations will be responsible for ensuring an
appropriate operational or organisational debrief into a critical incident.
2.4.10 Uniform Operations is also responsible for maintaining an overview of all Critical
Incidents, not only ensuring appropriate debriefs of such instances, but also the
capture and identification of organisational learning; and ensuring relevant
Departmental Heads, Process Owners and/or Area Commanders take all necessary
action to improve service delivery and make relevant amendments to existing policy
or procedures as a result of the learning from critical incidents. This will include
ensuring an effective liaison with ACPO regarding the minuting of Gold groups and
actions arising.
2.4.11 The professional manner in which the Constabulary responds to any instance of
well founded or mis-informed criticism at all stages of the review or post incident
investigation, through civil or criminal proceedings, inquests or on occasions, public
enquiries will be critical to the restoration of public confidence.
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3.
Procedure Aim
3.1
Cheshire Constabulary recognises that the manner in which it responds – and is
seen to respond - to critical incidents will be instrumental in maintaining and
increasing public confidence in not only local policing but also in the national police
service.
3.2
This procedure confirms Cheshire Constabulary’s formal adoption of the ACPO
definition of a critical incident and the principles outlined in the National Policing
Improvement Agency Practice Advice on Critical Incident Management (2007) as
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.
3.3
This procedure sets out how officers and staff should respond in the initial phases
of any such incident becoming apparent, what leadership to demonstrate and what
management structures to put into place to deal with the aftermath and ongoing
response to such an incident.
3.4
Equally importantly, this procedure sets out the means by which the Constabulary
seeks to minimise the potential for a routine incident becoming a critical incident.
3.5
As it is not possible to define which incidents might become critical, this procedure
is not intended to be a definitive guide to the management of any one particular
critical incident. Its purpose is to complement and support a number of call
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management, incident management and response policies and procedures as well
as those more specific procedures for dealing with serious incidents and crimes that
in themselves are high profile incidents that immediately attract significant force
resources, a significant media profile or significant community concerns.
3.6
This procedure therefore sets out three specific aims in the management of critical
incidents:
(1) The early identification of those incidents where the effectiveness of police
response may have a significant impact on the confidence or the victim, their
family, or the community
(2) The Constabulary’s response to critical incidents in order to maintain, improve or
restore public confidence
(3) The establishment of practices, policies and procedures to minimise the
potential for a routine incident becoming a critical incident.
3.7
This procedure also recognises that critical incidents are just as likely to arise from
professional standards or organisational reputation issues as from purely
operational responses to reported incidents.
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4.
Appeals
4.1
This procedure does not have a specific appeals process.
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5.
Review
5.1
The formal policy review date will be 12 months from the date of ratification.
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