Discussion

• If you are approached by the media, how do you balance the need for transparency, openness, and trust without compromising investigations and not overpromising?
• It is generally important not to name a person involved in an inquiry until they are charged.
• In the UK policing is practised with the consent of the communities within which they work. Trust is therefore essential for this partnership with the public. However, during many investigations, information must be carefully controlled. How do you ensure that this does not undermine confidence in the process? It can be tempting to divulge more than is operationally necessary. Discussing with colleagues about maintaining agreed Lines to Take ahead of and during an investigation can help maintain an appropriate and consistent response.
• Explaining the legal process to the public in a way that they can understand is important – e.g. ‘we cannot comment as it would be inappropriate whilst live criminal proceedings take place’.
• How do you communicate to the public if you don’t think you’ve got anything new to say? How honest should you be if an investigation is not going well?
• Think about how different minorities have been viewed historically and how they are viewed today. Irish, Black, Jewish, Traveller, and many others have all faced varying degrees of public discrimination at different times and today.
• What kind of unconscious bias do you think you might have?
  If you are unsure about withholding or revealing information, and concerned about any wider impact that information may have, who would you go to for advice?