Cambridgeshire Constabulary
Ethics Playing Cards
Copyright © 2025 Compass Ethics
10
You have tried multiple times to contact a member of the public to update them about an ongoing investigation but cannot get through on the telephone. What further steps are appropriate in a busy office?
Case Studies
- It often feels as if there is never enough time to do everything properly. What should be prioritised?
- What types of activity in your own department are often relegated when there are too many other things to do? What are the unintended consequences?
Discussion
- How significant is the investigation? What is the scale? To whom is it important? Something trivial to most people may have significant value to the person involved. Alternatively, could this be done via a letter rather than a visit? Is a letter an appropriate method of engagement?
- What information was taken in the first place? Was the initial information-taking accurate and sufficiently comprehensive not to have left a gap in understanding or awareness? Poor record-keeping or note-taking can waste huge amounts of time.
- How does the grading system affect your decision? When should you go on the scene and intervene? When do you allocate an officer?
- You can’t leave voice mails or send text messages containing any personal or sensitive details due to Data Protection guidelines, so how do you leave an appropriate message?
- What is permitted in terms of giving up? What is an obligation? When is it the right thing to do (or even it would be a good thing to do it)?
- What are the formal duties of an appointments officer? One of them is that if the MOP does not attend their appointment that they attend the address in person/make contact and speak to the MOP directly.
- You may need to consider if the reason they can’t be contacted is due to a change in risk – have they come to harm, or moved away?