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think we all know and accept incident before let alone covered it have a belief that they are already thinking
that it is going to happen; the on any training course they have ever that if they do not get and take everything
Investigators will be making attended. T ere’s the rub. T ey will they may be heavily criticised at a later
I contact with the PIM and will most therefore deal with it (especially if there date. Surely that is the wrong approach in
probably want to attend the PIM suite. is a death) according to their training the circumstances of a Police shooting?
T ey will come in two guises: and understanding of their own relevant Perhaps I am naïve but I know Police
t the Police Initial Investigating Officer reference material (usually the ‘Murder Firearms Officers very well, probably
(IIO); and Manual’). Now I am to investigating more than many other individual in
t the Independent Investigating what an investigator is to Post Incident the PIM community as a consequence
Authority (in England and Wales Management – up a creek without of previously being a Firearms Officer
the Independent Police Complaints a paddle! What I find difficult to myself and working closely with Firearms
Commission) Senior Investigator (SI). comprehend is the sometimes clinical Officers for nearly 30 years. I know that
T e first point I make is that they response of “I want forensically and if they pull that trigger, they will have
have an integral role to play in any PIM evidentially everything just in case”. I done it for a perceived reason, contrary to
procedure, so ignore them at your peril!
As the PIM I have always respected the
Investigators, their role and their likely
requirements and have been generally
impressed by their approach and response
to the principal Officers. T at said, their
response is often dictated by their own
experience, knowledge of the subject
and training. Let me deal with Police
Investigators first.

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T e IIO will generally come from Force
Professional Standard Departments
although I accept this differs in Forces
across the UK. Investigating a Police
involved shooting is fortunately a rare
occurrence and that fact is more often
than not abundantly clear from the
outset. I doubt very much that the IIO
has ever dealt with a Police shooting