Post Incident Procedures

Post-incident investigations will commence in all situations following police contact that may have: 

• Resulted in death or serious injury 
• Revealed failings in command 
• Caused danger to officers or the public.
• Incidents that have revealed failings in command or have caused danger to officers or the public should follow the Post Incident Procedure. 

If the above criteria are not met, the force should still consider the proportionate application of these procedures, where appropriate.

The benefits of good post incident procedures (PIPs) can make all the difference between ‘career death’ or keeping the job officers love.

Two Staffordshire PCs outlined their own experiences for delegates at the annual Police Federation PIPs Seminar.

Response officers Tony Collier and Rob Goodwin were involved in a pursuit which ended in a three-car collision with victims suffering life-changing injuries.

With the support of the local Federation, sympathetic bosses and Occupational Health, they were guided through the investigation procedures after a malfunctioning ‘black box’ system [Spirit] showed their car speeding at 100 mph.

The drama began after the officers had pulled over a suspicious vehicle. PC Goodwin was speaking to the male driver and had attempted to whip the car keys out of the car’s ignition when the driver suddenly shot off leaving the officer clinging on for dear life.

The officers immediately chased after the offender, who had a warrant for immediate recall to prison but after several miles doing only moderate speeds, the errant driver crashed into two other cars, seriously injuring three other people.

PC Goodwin said: “Over a 15 year career it was probably the worst day of my policing career – and as it transpired, probably the very best.”
With the casualties cut out of the cars and the air ambulance gone from the scene, the officers and three other colleagues were ferried to Staffordshire Police HQ where the PIPs process was started.

PC Collier said: “Unlike Rob, I had not had had any previous PIPs awareness training so I felt like the pressure was ramping up all the time because I had no idea what to expect.”

But he felt grateful to Post Incident Manager (PIM) Pete Owen, ‘the most important man in the room’ because he said: “There was a very calm approach, no bullying or finger pointing – these are the people looking after you. I was quite glad there was no separation and although I was very worried, I could feel that wraparound support.”

PC Goodwin added: “The most important thing was that we were given time, there was no pressure put on us. We had great support from the Federation and Occupational Health. In fact, if I hadn’t had the support of Occupational Health, I don’t know if I would still be in the job.”

The investigation carried out by the police watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), was originally meant to last three months but ended up taking ten because a member of the public who was not even present at the scene of the accident, claimed officers were driving in an illegal manner.

Body Worn Video (BWV) was crucial in calibrating the actual speed of the officers’ car, vital because the on-board Spirit computer gave false readings. As a result of the investigation, Spirit was eventually removed from all Staffordshire vehicles. “Body Worn Cameras will save you”, said PC Goodwin.

But also key to both PCs was the support they received throughout, emerging afterwards with renewed vigour for the job. Said PC Collier: “The whole process ultimately turned five cynical officers into massive fans and supporters of Staffordshire Police and the way that they do their business.”

 Norfolk Federation has supported a large number officers through the PIP process and our Fed reps are trained to the same level as the PIM (Post Incident Managers).

The College of Policing have produced the Post Incident Procedures APP (authorised professional practice) document which is the guidance that all PIM's use when a PIP is enacted. The link to this document is here https://www.app.college.police.uk/app-content/armed-policing/post-deployment/#post-incident-procedures

Norfolk Federation has produced a PIP leaflet which has been sent out to all officers to make them aware of the PIP process and some handy questions and answers. The leaflet is aimed as dispelling some myths and giving officers re-assurance. Please find a link to the leaflet here PIP/PIM Leaflet.

The Police Dependents Trust in conjunction with the Federation and Oscar Kilo have produced a helpful self help guide for officers who've been through a traumatic incident. Click here to upload a copy.