The Prince of Wales thanks police family liaison officers

A group of family liaison officers from across the UK were thanked for their work at an event at Clarence House today.

The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall hosted a reception to learn more about the role of family liaison officers and the work that they do.

Family liaison officers are specially trained police investigators who work closely with the family of victims of crimes where there has been a death.

This can involve murder investigations, roads traffic investigations to responding to major natural disasters such as the Boxing Day tsunami.

Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) lead on family liaison Commander Simon Foy said he was delighted The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall had shown an interest in the role of police family liaison.

“It tends to be an area of work that has not had much recognition. The fact is that it’s a critical role not only supporting families at one of the most difficult times they face, but also working as a key part of the investigating team, “Cdr Foy said.

“It takes a certain individual to be a liaison officer. It’s a challenging and demanding role. Each of these officers has worked on varying and complex cases and each will have a poignant story to tell.

“The family liaison officers who attended this event included officers who have worked on high profile cases such as supporting the family of victims of the Mumbai attacks, the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami and Northumbria gunman Raoul Moat. They also include those cases that may have been less publicised, but the impact on the families and the importance of the work remains the same. “

Detective Constable Neil Sinclair has been a family liaison officer since 1997, working with Sussex Police, Essex Police and is now with the Metropolitan Police.

He said the family liaison role was rewarding in many ways.

“I once had the mother of a murdered teenager come up to me in the street two years after the incident. She introduced me to her friends as Neil, the man who had saved her life. That was quite touching and really unexpected,” he said.

He said one of the hardest parts of a being family liaison officer was breaking the initial news of a death.

“After that, the difficult job is to prepare the family for the disappointment that has to come when everything is done and over with that their loved one is still dead and everything they have gone through won’t bring them back,” DC Sinclair said.

Detective Constable Helen Flynn from Hertfordshire Constabulary was deployed to assist families of victims of the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami and was deployed to the National Family Advisory Team.

She said her approach to the job was to ensure a level of service that she would expect if she was ever in the same situation as the families that she helps.

DC Flynn: “I think the hardest part of the job has to be the initial meeting. At the end of a deployment, it’s rewarding to know that in some small way you may have eased the lives of that family or individual through a time in their lives which potentially is the most traumatic period they will ever experience.”

PC Laura Griffiths from South Wales Police has been a roads traffic family liaison officer for five years.

She said it was flattering that The Prince of Wales had shown an interest in the work of family liaison officers.

“We all are just normal everyday people going about our work the same as everyone else. Often it isn’t nice work but the good points always outweigh the bad, she said.

“The family liaison role isn’t one that is publicised a lot and a lot of people do not realise that there are specialist trained officers carrying out this role when required, so for the Prince of Wales to acknowledge our work and to bring it into the limelight is a tremendous achievement and honour.”

A series of case studies of family liaison officers is attached including quotes and background to their work.

The role of the police family liaison officer was formally recognised and training started after the enquiry into the murder of Stephen Lawrence in Eltham South London in 1993. There are currently approximately 4,500 trained family liaison officers in the UK. These officers work in a variety of different policing roles in their day-to-day job and are called on for their family liaison expertise when there is a police investigation into the death of another human. This includes homicide and road death investigation.

Family liaison officers are specially trained police investigators who work with the investigation team. A bereaved family will normally have two family liaison officers appointed to the case so that they can be kept updated about the investigation. The primary role of the family liaison officers is to develop a two-way flow of information between family and friends and the investigation team. They will:

· answer any questions that families may have about the ongoing investigation

· give contact details of organisations that can offer emotional support or practical advice

Every force in England, Wales and Scotland, was represented, as were PSNI, British Transport Police, Royal Military Police and the National Policing Improvement Agency who design the accredited family liaison officer training.

The head of the new National Homicide Service, the Victim Support-led team giving support to families of homicide victims was also present.

For more information please contact:

ACPO Press Office
Association of Chief Police Officers
e: press.office@acpo.pnn.police.uk