00:00 Firstly, I want to start by recognising the immense tragedy at the centre of this report,
00:06 the death of Nicola Bully.
00:08 The loss of Nicola has left her family and friends dealing with immeasurable grief.
00:12 My thoughts continue to be with them.
00:15 As they are approaching their first Christmas without Nicola, I know that we will all agree
00:19 we must consider their feelings as we talk about this report.
00:23 I would also like to pay tribute to Nicola's family's strength and patience.
00:28 Now we have completed this review, I hope they are given the space to grieve in peace.
00:33 Nicola's disappearance received unprecedented levels of interest from both mainstream media
00:38 and social media.
00:40 Lancashire Constabulary's Press Office logged more than 500 media calls and 75,000 inbound
00:45 social media comments over a period of about a month.
00:50 At the peak of media attention, the investigation generated 6,500 news articles globally in
00:56 a single day.
00:57 On social media, the BBC estimated that TikTok alone featured 270 million videos with the
01:04 hashtag of Nicola Bully's name.
01:07 There is no doubt how hard the communications team worked during this investigation.
01:12 Many worked long hours, provided sound advice and tried their absolute best.
01:17 But we found the Constabulary did not recognise the extent of the media interest in this case
01:22 or the impact it was having on public confidence.
01:25 The coverage of Nicola's disappearance was on a par with many national media stories
01:30 in recent times and was one of, if not the most, high profile media incident that Lancashire
01:35 Constabulary has ever experienced.
01:38 One of the decisions which has arguably the most significant impact on public confidence
01:43 was the release of personal information about Nicola's health.
01:47 We found that due process was followed in this decision and that it was lawful, but
01:52 we are in no doubt that releasing this information in the manner the Constabulary did was both
01:57 avoidable and unnecessary.
02:00 Whilst there is substantial learning for the Constabulary, there are also findings and
02:04 recommendations for policing nationally.
02:07 The review found the wider relationship between the police and the media to be fractured and
02:11 identified that action needs to be taken on all sides to help build trust.
02:16 The impact of social media on policing was illustrated starkly and the significance for
02:21 investigations and public confidence must also be acknowledged.
02:26 The activity to address both of these areas of learning must now be considered closely
02:30 at a national level, including by the College of Policing.
02:34 Finally, I want to put firmly on record that the Constabulary welcomed the review team
02:40 with transparency and candour.
02:42 It is of significant credit to Lancashire Constabulary that their officers and staff
02:46 have displayed, and continue to display, a real willingness to learn.
02:51 We stand ready to support them, the Police and Crime Commissioner and wider policing
02:56 as we look to implement the important learning from this review.
03:01 As this report concludes, we continue to have Nicola, her family and friends in our thoughts.
03:07 Thank you.
03:08 [END]
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