Public inquiries continue to be fashionable. Cynics may say they
are a good way to park a tricky issue while press interest dies
down. But whether they like it or not, police forces, officers and
staff are likely to be involved in a wide range of inquiries
investigating issues of public concern. The police are usually
peripheral to the main focus of an inquiry but, whatever level of
involvement there may be, there are always significant risks.
The main purpose of a public inquiry is to provide a relatively
informal means of investigating why something has gone wrong and
how it can be fixed. Highly sensitive public issues usually involve
some element of policing conduct or policy. Consider the high
profile inquiries over recent years – Bichard,
Climbié, Shipman and now Leveson. Also consider the
inquiries which have had a specific police focus such as Lawrence
and Morris; it is clear that police forces must be prepared to deal
with the particular pressure and demands
