Lancashire Police will not face action over its disclosure of Nicola Bulley’s personal information after she went missing, The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has said. A separate report published by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) on Tuesday also said its investigation into an officer’s contact with Ms Bulley prior to her disappearance identified two areas of learning.
The force came faced a lot of criticism after the 45-year-old’s body was pulled from the River Wyre in Lancashire on February 19. It had by that point been more than three weeks after she was last seen on January 27, Manchester Evening News reports.
In a statement, the ICO said it had concluded its investigation and informed police it would not be taking any enforcement action. ICO’s deputy commissioner of regulatory policy Emily Keaney said: “This was an important piece of work around a high-profile case.
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“We wanted to reassure the public that there are rules in place to protect how personal information is used and shared, and we wanted to be clear that while police can disclose information to protect the public and investigate crime, they would need to be able to demonstrate such disclosure was necessary and proportionate.”
Meanwhile, the IOPC started an independent investigation in February into contact Lancashire Police had with Ms Bulley on 10 January 2023. The investigation focused on the actions and decisions of the police officer who attended Ms Bulley’s address as part of a multi-agency team.
The team comprised of a police officer and health professionals who were responding to a concern for her wellbeing, and the IOPC investigation examined whether the police response was in accordance with policy, guidance and training.
The IOPC identified two areas of learning for Lancashire Police in terms of updating its guidance documents for multi-agency vehicles, to ensure all police officers working in this role understand what is expected of them, as well as the provision of guidance for officers more widely when dealing with similar situations.
They also also identified two areas of learning for the officer, which relate to recording information on police systems and activation of body worn video.
IOPC Regional Director Catherine Bates said: “Our investigation has identified important learning for the force in relation to the policing role in multi-agency vehicles, which aims to assist the force in their response to similar calls in the future. Our thoughts remain with Ms Bulley’s family and friends and all those affected by her death.”
Earlier on Tuesday it was announced that an independent review into the handling of Ms Bulley is underway. The findings of the review, commissioned by Lancashire’s Police and Crime Commissioner Andrew Snowden, are set to be published in Autumn 2023.
It is being carried out by the College of Policing, the independent national standard-setting body for policing.
The independent review has three areas of focus; it will consider the operational response to the high-risk missing person investigation, the communication and engagement with the press and media, public and family, and decision making surrounding the disclosure of sensitive personal information.
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