All the things we learned about how cops handled Nicola Bulley's disappearance

Nicola Bulley press conference: Key points in full after College of Policing's report

Following the release of the College of Policing's report into the handling of Lancashire Police's investigation into Nicola Bulley's disappearance, the force hosted a press conference today. Speaking at it, the College of Policing boss said;

• Lancashire Police's "failure to declare a critical incident was significant" and led to "several challenges" during the operation
• Lancashire Police "could have done more' to protect evidence in 'golden hour'"
• Releasing information around Nicola Bulley's health was "avoidable and unnecessary"

The media briefing heard there is no ground for cases of misconduct by anyone involved in the investigation and Lancashire Police and Crime Commissioner will work with the force to learn from the findings in the comprehensive report.

Nicola Bulley's heartbroken family turned to media during search

A new report has examined how Nicola Bulley's heartbroken family desperately turned to the media as the search to find her turned out no clues.

Her devastated partner, Paul Ansell, gave the first media interview three days after her disappearance, in a bid to keep the appeal for information fresh in people's minds. But as the days into the search rolled on and not a single item of clothing or piece of evidence turned up, the family held onto the hope that Nicola may not have fallen into the river.

Almost a week on from her last sighting, the Mirror spoke with Nicola's distraught elderly parents, who described the surreal anguish of seeing their daughter all over the news. In the absence of any certain evidence pointing to Nicola falling in, they asked the police "how can you be so sure?".

Read more here

10 things at Nicola Bulley inquest from 'screams' to how mum ended up in water

After months of cruel speculation, an inquest into the death of mum-of-two Nicola Bulley worked to establish the circumstances behind her last moments.

The mortgage adviser vanished after dropping her daughters, aged six and nine, at school, then taking her dog for a walk in Lancashire on January 27. Her phone, still connected to a work Teams call, was found on a bench overlooking the water. Her body was found in the River Wyre around a mile from the bench, on February 19.

Mum appeared 'completely normal' moments before vanishing while walking dog

Giving evidence at County Hall in Preston in June, Home Office pathologist Dr Alison Armour said it was likely that the 45-year-old drowned after entering the River Wyre. Ms Bulley's partner, Paul Ansell, sister Louise Cunningham and parents, Ernest and Dot Bulley, were seen sitting in the public gallery as the pathologist's evidence was read out.

For the full story, click this link

Nicola Bulley drowned in the river, the inquest heard (PA)

Nicola Bulley sent heartbreaking final text before she went missing

The last text that Nicola Bulley sent before she went missing was read out during the first day of an inquest into her death earlier this year.

The 45-year-old mum was last seen walking her family dog Willow along the River Wyre on January 27. But after she went missing, a desperate manhunt was launched which captured the attention of the nation. For weeks, police and emergency services searched for the missing mum until they finally found her body a few weeks later.

For the full story, click this link.

Nicola Bulley's heartbroken partner has theory about how she ended up in river

Nicola Bulley's partner revealed how he believes the mum-of-two - who drowned in the River Wyre - ended up in the water.

Ms Bulley had dropped off her two children, aged six and nine, at school on January 27 this year and was walking the family dog Willow when she went missing. She was found dead in the river in St Michael's, Lancashire on February 19, around a mile from where her mobile phone and the springer spaniel's harness were discovered.

Speaking at the second day of her inquest earlier this year, partner Paul Ansell said he thought she went to put on Willow's harness before falling into the water. Her mobile phone was still connected to a work Teams call when it was found on a bench overlooking the water.

For the full story, click this link.

Nicola is pictured with partner Paul Ansel (Facebook)

Nicola Bulley's tragic final moments - text to friend, 'scream' and 'cold water shock'

Nicola Bulley's disappearance sent shockwaves across the UK.

The 45-year-old had been walking her dog along the River Wyre, Lancashire, on January 27 when she seemingly vanished. Experts scoured the river for traces of the mother-of-two and their desperate manhunt captivated the nation as they anxiously waited for news.

However, it wasn't until three weeks later that her body was found in the water on February 19, and it was later confirmed that Nicola had fallen in and drowned. Just moments before her death, she had been talking on a work call, and her phone was found left on the bench where she had been seated - a mile from where her body was recovered.

For the full story, click this link.

Nicola Bulley search experts predicted exact weekend she'd be found, report finds

A group of search experts predicted the exact weekend Nicola Bulley would be discovered, a new report has revealed.

An inquiry by the College of Policing published today said that a number of professionals in search and rescue were invited to assist the investigations latter stages. An expert from the Association of Lowland Search and Rescue advised the police on the dates when a body would most like float to the water surface.

They suggested the "earliest flotation date would be 14 February, with the most likely date being 20 February". The report said: "From the tidal information and the predictions by experts, it was anticipated that the weekend of 18-19 February might become significant in the search to find Nicola.

Read more here

Changes should be made to missing person cases, Mr Faulding says

The lengthy statement from the forensic search expert adds: "This case has highlighted the need for a national co-ordinated response tomissing persons, to ensure the best resources, technical equipment andexpertise are deployed early for a swift resolution. Specialist underwater search is under resourced in the UK and there is a lack of expertise county by county. The report recognises the requirement for police dive teams to actively accept assistance from commercial partners who have advanced technology and equipment to locate missing persons.

"I would like to say thank you to everyone who has supported myself and my fantastic team throughout this time, never doubting our credentials and abilities. Specialist Group International (SGI) continue to be available to help families who have lost loved ones, working closely with police, emergency services and volunteer teams across the UK."

Peter Faulding, a forensic expert, assisted police during the search (Julian Hamilton/Daily Mirror)

Peter Faulding, of Specialist Group International (SGI), speaks out regarding the report

Peter Faulding, of Specialist Group International (SGI), whose team assisted Lancashire Police with underwater searches, said today he was not invited to Nicola Bulley's inquest, and College of Policing did not request to see his findings in detail.

In a lengthy statement, he said: "Following the College of Policing interview, no request was made to view thelive sonar data or discuss my findings in more detail. Concerned that no furtherinformation request was made, on 27th October 2023, I sent a second detailedletter to the College of Policing offering more information.

"The letter included the exact location of the target marked with the latitude andlongitude on Google Maps and further enhanced, clear images of Nicola’s bodylying on her right side in a foetal position. The length of body parts accuratelymeasures to a person of approximately 1.61 metres, the same height as Nicola.

"Considering the very high-profile nature of this case, I am surprised that I wasnot asked to discuss the images with the academic experts or take them throughmy irrefutable sonar data. To confirm a sonar target, the live data must beviewed using the sonar software that the data was recorded on."

Heartbreaking final image of Nicola Bulley

At her inquest, pictures showed the final moment Nicola Bulley was captured on camera on the morning she died. The mum-of-two was seen on the family's Ring cam before she took her children to school on the morning of January 27.

Seen wearing a long black coat, leggings and ankle boots and with her hair tied in a ponytail, Nicola - known to loved ones as Nikki - was seen getting in the car on what would have otherwise been a routine morning.

Shortly later, the 45-year-old disappeared while on a work call as she took the family dog for a walk along the River Wyre in St Michaels on Wyre, Lancashire.

Read more here

Nicola Bulley and her partner Paul Ansell (PA)

Lancashire Police's statement in full

The review was commissioned by Police and Crime Commissioner, Andrew Snowden, to provide an external perspective on the investigation and associated activity in the search for Nicola. The Constabulary welcomed the review as an opportunity to highlight any learning and best practice that could be applied locally and nationally and cooperated fully with the review team.

There are some areas of the operation that have received commendation and have been highlighted as exemplary, including the initial response, investigation, and search operation. The support to the Bulley family by the Family Liaison Officers is also highlighted as exceptional, and the Senior Investigating Officer led the investigation professionally and with noteworthy competence.

Reassurance to, and engagement with, the community of St Michael’s was also central to our response through our local neighbourhood policing team. There are also areas of learning that the Constabulary will be reviewing and looking to implement in the future or has already done so.

Read the full statement here

Several challenges arose after Lancashire Police didn't call a critical incident

The failure to call a "critical incident" into Nicola Bulley's disapperance caused "several challenges" for the force.

Addressing the press, the College of Policing boss says: "Our review talks about the formulation of a strategy and the development of that strategy Throughout this investigation. So we believe that the failure to call it a critical incident until the 16th of February did lead to several challenges in the resourcing and management of this incident, notably the media management."

Officers from Lancashire Police search for Nicola Bulley (PA)

Police Crime and Commissioner says no one is responsible of misconduct at Lancashire Police

While Lancashire Police can learn from the findings in the report, the points do not amount to grounds of misconduct, the Police Crime and Commissioner says.

Speaking at the briefing, he adds: "As I said at the start in my opening statement, there have been no grounds for which anyone has conducted anything that could be considered misconduct. This is learning for the organisation about how we can better handle media relations in the future during these unprecedented cases."

Releasing information around Nicola Bulley's health was 'avoidable and unnecessary'

The College of Policing boss said the release of information around Nicola's health was "both avoidable and unnecessary."

Chief Cons Marsh continues: "One of the decisions which has had arguably the most significant impact on public confidence was the release of personal information about Nicola's health. We found the due process was followed in this decision and that it was lawful, but we're no doubt that releasing this information in this manner was both avoidable and unnecessary."

Paul Ansell, pictured with partner Nicola Bulley spoke at the inquest into her death

Social media sleuths took over after police 'lost control' of case

A scrutinising new report into the Nicola Bulley investigation has examined how social media sleuths were able to take over the truth as police "lost control" of the story.

At the height of the hunt for Nicola, 45, there were 6,500 news stories published around the world about her in one day. TikTok videos on the subject of her disappearance amassed more than 270 million views and negative social media comments on Lancashire Police's pages increased by more than 450 per cent.

Conspiracy theories at the time ranged from ludicrous suggestions about a network of underground tunnels, which was debunked by the Mirror, to libellous and disgusting allegations levelled at Nicola's loved ones.

Read more here

The area on the River Wyre, in Lancashire, where a body was recovered (Julian Hamilton/Daily Mirror)

'Failure to declare a critical incident is significant,' College of Policing boss says

Chief Cons Marsh adds: "We believe that decision not to declare a critical incident set the tone within the constabulary and lead to several challenges. The College of policing defines a critical incident as any incident where the effectiveness of the police response is likely to have a significant impact on the confidence of the victim, their family and or the community.

"This investigation clearly met that definition. So whilst we found the conservatory deployed considerable resources and identified Nicola's disapperance as high risk, the failure to declare a critical incident is significant and impacts on the decision making process throughout the investigation."

Chief Executive of the College of Policing pays tribute to Nicola Bulley

Chief Constable, Andy Marsh, Chief Executive of the College of Policing is now addressing the media.

He says: "The college was commissioned by Lancashire Police and Crime Commissioner Andrew Snowden, In February of this year to undertake a fully independent review of the operational response to the reported missing person Nicola Bulley. the review was tasked with providing insight into the effectiveness of the Conservatives response Over the course of the period that Nicola was missing. We've now formally presented this report to the Police and Crime Commissioner.

"The purpose of the college of policing review was not to attribute blame, or rerun the investigation into Nicola's disappearance and death, but rather to identify the learning for Lancashire police and policing, more broadly, we've not shied away from criticism, and I'll come to the areas for learning we've identified, but I want to start by saying, we found the police investigation and search to have been well conducted by Lancashire Constabulary.

"The loss of Nicola has left her family and friends dealing with immeasurable grief. My thoughts continue to be with them. As they're approaching their first Christmas without Nicola, I know that we'll all agree we must consider their feelings as we talk about this report."

Police 'could have done more' to protect evidence in 'golden hour'

A report into the police investigation to find Nicola Bulley has warned officers they could have done more to protect evidence in the "golden hour" after she disappeared.

Nicola, 45, vanished from three miles from her home in Inskip, Lancashire while walking her dog on a riverside path. An inquiry published today found that officers should have protected the area where she was last seen by cordoning off a bench where her phone was found, still connected to a work call.

The report by the College of Policing said in hindsight crucial forensic evidence could have been protected, had the police theory that Nicola had fallen into the river turned out to be wrong.

Read more here

College of Policing's press conference is underway

Lancashire Police's press conference is underway at the force headquarters in Preston.

Lancashire Police and Crime Commissioner has started addressing the media, outlining the puyrpose of the conference and background of the case.

He says he commissioned the report by the College of Policing.

"I would like to thank the college for their diligent, professional and thorough work. over the past few months. I have received their findings, their conclusions and recommendations And as Commissioner, I accept them in full," he said.

Lancashire Police issued a photo of the missing mum during the search (PA)

Nicola Bulley 'human mole' went rogue during search

Nicola Bulley detectives desperately tried to muzzle a "human mole" who went rogue against police guidance several times during the investigation, a new report has revealed.

The latest inquiry by the College of Policing published today highlights the fractious relationship officers had with underwater search expert Peter Faulding.

Mr Faulding, who runs search company Specialist Group International, was brought into the investigation at Nicola's family's request. But the report hit out at his repeated media interviews, conducted without consulting officers, which were ultimately "at odds" with the findings.

In a ground-breaking new revelation the force also claimed it had Mr Faulding sign a non-disclosure agreement and told how he went off-piste from his remit of searching in the water at one stage - taking a spade to dig up an area of land he suspected was "recently disturbed".

Read more here

Peter Faulding, CEO of company Specialist Group International (PA)

Lancashire Police speaks out for the first time since the report

Lancashire Constabulary has today welcomed the College of Policing review of the operational response to reported missing person Nicola Bulley.

This review was commissioned by Police and Crime Commissioner, Andrew Snowden, to provide an external perspective on the investigation and associated activity in the search for Nicola.

The Constabulary welcomed the review as an opportunity to highlight any learning and best practice that could be applied locally and nationally and cooperated fully with the review team.

Deputy Chief Constable Sacha Hatchett is the lead Chief Officer for organisational learning, standards and conduct and is now responsible for ensuring that any learning is considered and implemented.

Lancashire Police's full reaction will be shared by the Mirror soon.

Assistant Chief Constable Peter Lawson and Get. Supt. Rebecca Smith are pictured at a previous conference (Julian Hamilton/Daily Mirror)

Police slammed for not 'declaring a critical incident' into Nicola Bulley's disapperance

The College of Policing document says: "The decision by the chief officer team not to declare it a critical incident earlier was, in our view, misguided...

"Not declaring a critical incident, and not releasing more information about the investigation, hampered Lancashire Constabulary’s ability to control the narrative and undermined public confidence."

Nicola Bulley went missing in January (PA)

Nicola Bulley report blasts cops failure to contain 'human mole' and 'TikTok frenzy'

A staggering report into the police hunt for Nicola Bulley has blasted their "misguided" failure to categorise her disappearance as a "critical incident".

The comprehensive 143-page review by the College of Policing also found that releasing personal details about Nicola's health and private life was both "avoidable and unnecessary".

The missing mum had been walking her dog by the River Wyre three miles from her home in Inskip, Lancashire when she vanished in January.

In the four weeks it took Lancashire Police to find her body, which was finally located a mile downstream, the force experienced unprecedented media attention and criticism.

For the full story, click here.

What we can expect from today's review

The College of Policing review is due to be published at 10am today.

It was commissioned by Lancashire's police and crime commissioner, Andrew Snowden. It will focus on the investigation and search, communication and public engagement, and the release of personal information.

Who is Nicola Bulley?

Mum-of-two Nicola Bulley vanished while walking her dog by the river in St Michael's on Wyre, Lancashire, on January 27. Her body was found on February 19, just over a mile from where she went missing

Her phone was found on a bench by the waterside and had recently connected to a work call. Her dog Willow was running loose.

Ms Bulley had dropped her two daughters, aged six and nine, off at school and then gone on her usual dog walk alongside the river before she disappeared.

Police launched an extensive search of the area and Nicola's body was found on February 19. Police confirmed the tragic news on February 20.