『Meet the Murder Team: Family Liaison Officer』のカバーアート

Meet the Murder Team: Family Liaison Officer

Meet the Murder Team: Family Liaison Officer

無料で聴く

ポッドキャストの詳細を見る

【Amazonプライム会員限定】今ならプレミアムプランが4か月 月額99円。

10月19日まで。※適用条件あり
As I sat there on the sofa, sitting across from me was what I could only describe as a broken family.Two parents who moments before had their whole world come crashing down around them.It was the message no parent ever expects to hear.I’m so sorry to tell you this but your son has died as the result of an assault.Murdered.Not even out of his teenage years.Less than an hour after he left the house saying he would see them later.Then my fellow murder detective and I rock up, telling them he wouldn’t be coming home.Ever.No matter how many times you deliver that message, it never gets easier. In fact, it probably gets harder because you know the impact those words are going to have. You’ve seen the devastation they cause.And there was no doubt those words had caused complete devastation.As a detective I had developed ways of dealing with most of what I saw in my career. The side that I found most difficult was witnessing the trauma of parents who have lost a child through murder.It was probably from being a parent myself. Some part of me wondering how I would cope in that situation (I’m not sure I could).It was that empathy I put down to what happened next.As I sat there, looking at this distraught couple, caught up in their emotions, I said something I had no place in saying.Out of nowhere I told them we would get them. That we would catch the people responsible for killing their son.You see, the thing is, how could I possibly promise that? How could I guarantee that would happen. Yes, we solve most murders, but there are those we don’t.I knew as soon as I said the words I shouldn’t have, and I regretted it straight away.If one of my detectives had said that I’d have had a go at them. You can’t promise something that isn’t in their gift.Thankfully, we did go on to catch his killers. And convict them. But at that time, I had no way of knowing that would happen.It was the only time I ever did that. But it was proof to me what I always knew.Being a family liaison officer wasn’t for me.It’s an unfortunate fact that some of the most important advances in policing come from the mistakes of the past.It often takes high-profile failings to adopt a better way of working. Which is how family liaison officers, or FLOs, came about.In 1992, one of the Metropolitan Police’s darkest moments occurred when 18-year-old Stephen Lawrence was murdered in a racist attack in Eltham, South-East London.The subsequent investigation into Stephen’s murder came under immense criticism, resulting in a public inquiry, chaired by Sir William Macpherson, that shone a light on numerous failings.One of those was the way in which investigators treated Stephen’s family.Up until then, how detectives engaged with bereaved relatives was far less structured than it is today.The Stephen Lawrence Inquiry became a catalyst for change.The Macpherson report made a number of recommendations about how police should work with bereaved families, including the use of designated and trained family liaison officers.Family liaison developed significantly in the years that followed and has since become a central part of murder investigations.So, that’s how the role developed, but what do they actually do?Well, let me dispel one myth straight away. A myth not only held by people outside of the police, but also many on the inside.They’re not there to look after the family.They’re most definitely not counsellors.They’re investigators.Detectives from the investigation team, whose role is to gather information that can assist the investigation.And for me, that’s at the heart of what makes this such an incredibly difficult role.But rather than me explain why, I want to try and put you in their place.Imagine you’re a detective on a murder team that has just taken on a new investigation.The victim is a 15-year-old who was stabbed and killed less than two hours ago.You have been allocated the role of lead family liaison officer. You will be assisted by a deputy, but the overall responsibility for that strand of the investigation is yours.The rest of the team have convened for their first meeting, where they will receive a briefing from the detectives who first attended the crime scene, but your initial meeting with the boy’s family is too important to wait for that briefing to conclude.As you make your way to their family home, you’re running through in your mind what will be required of you when you arrive.You know that you’re there to get what information you can that will help the investigation. You will want to build as good a picture as is possible of the boy’s life. Which school he went to. Who his friends were. Where he hung around. Had he had any issues recently. Was he involved in any criminality or gangs. What was his phone number. How did he normally travel around. And as far as they know, where had he been prior to the murder.If they’re open to it, you would like to look in his bedroom for anything that may...
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1
まだレビューはありません