Nicola Bulley: Lancashire Police face no action over details disclosureon May 9, 2023 at 2:03 pm

The force which investigated Nicola Bulley’s disappearance will not face action for sharing her personal information, a watchdog has said.

The 45-year-old mother-of-two’s body was found 23 days after she disappeared from St Michael’s on Wyre in January.

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said it would not take action over disclosures Lancashire Police made during a “fast-paced” investigation.

The force thanked the ICO for its “careful consideration of this matter”.

Ms Bulley disappeared while walking her dog by the River Wyre after dropping off her daughters at school on 27 January.

Her dog was found shortly after, along with her phone, which was still connected to a work conference call and placed on a bench by the steep riverbank.

The police mounted a large-scale operation, which included searches of the surrounding area and public appeals, but it was not until 19 February that her body was found in the river about a mile from where she was last seen.

MPs and campaign groups voiced their disapproval after officers put elements of her private life into the public domain, including her struggles with alcohol and perimenopause.

Announcing its conclusions, ICO’s deputy commissioner of regulatory policy Emily Keaney said it had sought to “reassure the public that there are rules in place to protect how personal information is used and shared”.

“We wanted to be clear that while police can disclose information to protect the public and investigate crime, they would need to be able to demonstrate such disclosure was necessary and proportionate,” she said.

She said the ICO had “spoken with Lancashire Police to better understand the steps they took before releasing information” and had heard about “the challenging nature of considering whether and how to share personal information during fast-paced, important cases”.

“Based on our conversations… we don’t consider this case requires enforcement action,” she said.

She added that the ICO would “provide further details around this decision following the inquest into Nicola Bulley’s death”, which is due to be held in June.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct said it had also concluded its investigation into an officer’s contact with Ms Bulley prior to her disappearance, which had “identified two areas of learning” related to recording information and activating body-worn video.

It said it had focused on the actions and decisions of a police officer who attended Ms Bulley’s address as part of a multi-agency team due to a concern for her wellbeing.

It added that after a “careful review and analysis of all the evidence”, it had recommended that the force update its guidance for “multi-agency vehicles, to ensure all police officers working in this role understand what is expected of them”.

Lancashire Police’s Assistant Chief Constable Sam Mackenzie said the force wanted to thank the ICO “for their careful consideration of this matter and we welcome their decision”.

He said it was “important to stress” that the “completely” separate IOPC investigation related solely to contact with Ms Bulley on 10 January and had found no misconduct or wrongdoing.

“Whilst we do have some procedural learning, it is important to note that our attendance was in support of an ambulance deployment and that the officer dealt with Nicola with compassion and empathy, putting her care at the forefront of his decision-making on that day,” he added.

The county’s police and crime commissioner, Andrew Snowden, said an independent review by the College of Policing into the force’s handling of the case was under way – with findings and recommendations due to be published in the autumn.

He said it would have three areas of focus: the operational response to the high-risk missing person investigation, press engagement and decision-making surrounding disclosure of sensitive personal information.

Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk