ACM’s media trainer, Richard Uridge, reflects on the College of Policing report into Lancashire Constabulary’s handling of the media in the sad case of Nicola Bulley – the woman who was at the centre of a missing person’s inquiry in early 2023 after she disappeared on a walk along the River Wyre in the North of England.
The report is comprehensive. It’s constructive. And it makes lots of really insightful recommendations about how to improve the sometimes difficult relationship between the media and the police. In particular it highlights the need for media training. But it also poses an important question for everyone working in media and communication around the role that social media plays. Can the beast be tamed, Richard asks? He doubts it. But it has a huge and growing influence on policing.
You can read the full report here. And here’s what Richard was saying about the case at the time.