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o we now have the Authorised Professional Practice – accounts). T e important issue is to individually record what their
Armed Policing, Module 7 (APP) that has superseded the honestly held belief of the situation was at the time force was used.
Manual of Guidance on the Management, Command T ere should, therefore, be no need for an officer to confer with
Sand deployment of armed officers! But don’t throw away others about what was in their mind at the time force was used. If,
your old Chapter 7 because it explains a bit more about how you however, in a particular case a need to confer on other issues does
actually might carry out the PIM procedure. To be completely up arise, then, in order to ensure transparency and maintain public
to date I will attempt to refer in this article to Module 7 references confidence, where some discussion has taken place, officers must
of the APP. document the fact that this has taken place, highlighting:
As I mentioned towards the end of my last article I will concentrate t time, date and place where conferring took place,
this time on conferring and the four stages of accounts. If we were t the issues discussed,
to look back about two or three years the issue of conferring was t with whom, and
a real ‘hot potato’ causing angst for practitioners, Post Incident t the reasons for such discussion.’
Managers and Investigators alike. I thought ‘these’ issues had Clear and simple isn’t it? For a while, this section was, and still
settled down somewhat, partly because we all now understand the is if I am to be honest, interpreted by many people, groups and
legal implications and how to interpret it in practice. However, particularly the media in various ways. I can remember some of the
from my various sources, I understand that this is back on the press highlights:
agenda for very eminent barristers to utilise as a battering ram ‘Officers post shooting can no longer collude with each other’.
against Principal Officers at Inquest! It would be remiss of me not We can enter into a massive debate on the use of the four ‘c’
to cover this and therefore prepare our PIM colleagues (and AFO words – confer and corroborate versus collude and collaborate.
practitioners) for what may occur in the future. All have different connotations in different circumstances but in
If we remember, following a number of very high profile police my mind conferring and corroborating are perfectly acceptable
shooting incidents, observations and concerns were expressed by and legal in the circumstances of post shooting. But if we do it we
family members of persons shot and killed, or more likely, by their should be honest and unashamed that we have and record that fact!
respective legal representatives. T e Independent Police Complaints Collude and collaborate I believe represent the unacceptable side of
Commission had no alternative other than to pursue these concerns what we might be accused of doing.
in consultation with ACPO, Staff Associations and other interested Two of these words are bandied about by various individuals
parties. To get to the point, this resulted in a change in the ACPO and groups perhaps maliciously or with complete ignorance, but
Firearms Manual around Chapter 7 and what we have today at in a way which regrettably is harmful to the Police Service and is
7.99 (as updated by the APP – 7-041). far from, in my experience anyway, what actually happens. As I
It was 2010 I believe and I was running a PIM Conference at explained in my first article I have now been a PIM for 6 shooting
Maidstone, Kent. T e changes were agreed and adopted by ACPO incidents and I can honestly report that I have seen, supported
and I consequently witnessed a ferocious debate about its content and recorded conferring and corroboration but never experienced
(and timing), because the Stockwell Inquest was in full swing and the other two versions. Certain people may well disbelieve me but
the changes highlighted were being identified by respective legal I state what I see and experience as a forthright and honest Post
teams. So it is worth stating what section 7.99 / 7-041 says: Incident Manager.
‘As a matter of general practice, officers should not confer with Most Police Forces now have a comprehensive Log for PIM use
others before making their accounts (whether initial or subsequent and within it is a section that clearly states 7.99 / 7-041. Many