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An Expert Talks - The Family Liaison Officer
One of the most important roles in dealing with homicide cases, fatal road accidents and terrorist fatalities is that of the Family Liaison Officer. Clearly, this is a function that is not really understood by the general public as it has little mainstream attention. This interview with Miles will educate people about the value of this work.
ConsultingCops (CC) - Hi Miles, can you please tell me what rank you finished your career at and what force you worked for?
DS Miles Manning (MM) - Detective Sergeant (DS) – Metropolitan Police Service (MPS).
CC - Can you explain what a FLO/FLC are and how they are used by the police? What are their ranks and how experienced must they be before taking on these roles?
MM - A Family Liaison Officer (FLO) is the link between the family of either a Murder/Manslaughter victim (including Terror offences), those killed in Road Traffic Accidents and victims of mass casualty events either in the UK, such as the Grenfell Tower tragedy, or overseas like the Tsunami in 2004.
The role has origins from the mistakes made during, and before the Stephen Lawrence investigation where the family were largely ignored. In 1998 following the review undertaken by Lord McPherson, the process of creating the role of Family Liaison Officer began and I was one of the first cadre of officers to be trained (around 2001) to deploy within families when I was serving on The Homicide Command.
The FLO role is an immersive role within the family and is undertaken by a trained investigator who is a volunteer and usually with significant Policing experience. They must always be Detective Constables (DC), at the very least, with the exception of Road Traffic matters where Police Constables (PC) from that unit, similarly volunteers, are trained and utilised.
A FLO must be mentally resilient and have copious amounts of compassion and empathy to undertake the role effectively. The FLO’s prime function was to support the family and the investigation by learning as much about the victim as possible, working on the principle that a significant amount of people is killed by the hands of someone they knew. The old Police adage “know how the victim lived, know why the victim died” was and remains apt and a skilled FLO with good communication skills can break down barriers within families and utilize their relationship to identify leads that are crucial to the investigation. In building that relationship, the FLO guides the family through the legal complexities that arise when someone is killed. They support them at the identification process and crucially assist them by being a single point of contact (SPOC) between them and the Senior Investigation Officer (SIO -usually a Detective Chief Inspector or Detective Superintendent). This clear line of communication ensures that the family are kept up to date and involved with the investigation. The FLO performs no other role on that enquiry and can engage with the SIO in a way that no other DC can.
FLO’s attend most strategy and investigative meetings and have a deep knowledge of the case and its direction in order to keep the family fully informed. As the case progresses to arrest, the information flow is maintained and any queries from the immediate or wider family addressed. As the trial approaches the FLO will arrange a visit to the court beforehand to familiarise the family, and during the court hearing itself, will continue close support often by sitting with the family during the trial and making sure they have a safe space in the courthouse should they wish to leave the court itself.
Often FLO’s are the ones reading out prepared statement to the media on behalf of the family and FLO’s are trained and authorized in media handling. Again, very few of Constable rank have that training and ability. The FLO will practically support the family in any way they can, from assisting with funeral arrangements, to talking with employers in order to reduce the suffering of the family, even by a small amount. They will not however counsel them. The FLO will signpost families to trauma support professionals but will not undertake mental health treatment within the family themselves. Whilst they may be experienced in dealing with grief, an amateur approach to helping the family cope emotionally, no matter how well intentioned, could be damaging to those concerned.
This is where the Family Liaison Coordinator (FLC) comes in. Following the Tsunami, the FLO role evolved considerably from dealing with Murder/Manslaughter/Road Traffic victims to nationwide deployments of FLO’s following mass casualty events, primarily abroad, in support of the Interpol/United Nations Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) protocols following the deaths of 3 or more people, 1 of which must be a foreign national. The DVI deployments are a topic in itself that I cannot really cover here, but will do so if asked. However, in short, the FLC role emerged from The Tsunami operation where it was recognized that a supervisor was required to support and manage FLO’s deployed in very challenging circumstances. The FLC main role is to ensure the wishes of the SIO are being carried out and that the welfare of the FLO’s is monitored. They are there for guidance and support and carry out a whole range of activities to facilitate the FLO’s work within a family. They will make arrangements for logistical support for FLO’s, phones, cars, overtime, etc. The FLC will often sort out visits to scenes for the family or to the morgue or courts to allow the FLO to be able to concentrate on the family. The FLC hold regular meetings with the FLO’s and supervises the Family Liaison log, an in-depth report of the interaction with the family. The FLC is almost always an experienced FLO and should be able to recognise if the work is affecting the FLO and support them accordingly. There is a danger that FLO become too entwined with the family and FLC’s are there to stop that.
A clear exit strategy must be in place from the beginning of the investigation/operation so that the family know that the FLO will, at some point in the future, no longer be involved with the family. It must be remembered that whilst a FLO is invaluable to a family, they remain a constant reminder of the worst time in their life and so there must be a time when the FLO is preventing the family from moving on. The FLC assists both the FLO and the family with that exit.
Both FLO’s and FLC’s must have a flexible approach to each family, so it is impossible to list out exactly what each does in every investigation.
The above gives you a flavour of what FLO’s undertake with families but is not comprehensive. For more information, please contact Consulting Cops.
CC - Were you a FLO/FLC or both? When, for what unit and what location?
MM - I was a FLO on the Homicide Command from 2001 until 2004 where I dealt with a lot of families. In 2004, having just moved from The Homicide Command to Witness Protection, and because my role was covert I was not allowed to deploy to families, so I was bought into the Co-ordination Cell for the FLO response to The Tsunami. This was the first time that a nationwide deployment of FLO’s had ever been attempted and I worked 16 hours a day for weeks in that cell, liaising with multiple forces, deploying families across the country, assisting the coordination of body identification in country and repatriation to the UK.
Following the Tsunami, I became part of a small team of FLC’s that were called out when there was a mass casualty event abroad and I assisted with the identification and repatriation of UK nationals caught up in natural disasters in Italy, Japan, Korea and Nepal. In 2008 upon promotion and posting to Enfield Borough as a Detective Sergeant, I assisted DS Lyndon Smith (From Consulting Cops) as the divisional FLC, and eventually replaced him when he moved back to The Homicide Command. I managed, as a secondary duty, a small team of FLO’s working on non-suspicious sudden deaths and other matters that occurred within Enfield Borough. In 2011 I transferred to The Counter Terrorism Command where, again as a secondary duty, I was one of the Command FLC’s and ran FLO’s deployed to families of terror victims around the world. I was the FLC for the attack on the BP pipeline at In Amenas, Algeria where 6 UK nationals were killed and the attack on the Westgate Mall in Kenya where 4 UK Nationals were murdered. In 2015 I led the team of FLO’s deployed to Sousse, Tunisia where 30 UK nationals were killed and the following year I was in Brussels with FLO’s dealing with the UK nationals killed in the terror attacks on the Metro and Airport. I was also lead FLC in attacks in Paris and Nice. My last weeks of service prior to retirement were taken up as the FLC for the attack on Westminster Bridge and my last meaningful day of service was arranging the visit to the scene and the morgue for the families of those killed on that day.
CC - What can you tell us about being a FLO/FLC? Can you give examples of what a deployment is like?
MM - I think deployments as a FLO/FLC are the most challenging but also the most rewarding in Policing. I am of the opinion that FLO’s do not get the credit they deserve in the media and if you look at the reports undertaken into the response to the Manchester Arena and Grenfell, one area of praise for the Police was the FLO response.
Personally speaking, my deployments abroad were the most challenging. Because of the size of my team and the number of families, I was single deploying my team which is something not normally done but with the morgue in Tunis, two hours up the road from Sousse, and the Tunisians insisting on physical ID I had a few families to manage and not enough FLO’s. Families were staying all over Sousse and the sheer logistical challenge was a nightmare. On top of that I was working closely with the Tunisian Police trying to find out what happened, liaising with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) to facilitate information back to families who did not travel to Sousse. I was dealing with politician’s requests which was a new experience for me, I was handling repeated media intrusion and I was managing some families who, because of the grief, were ripping each other apart. Being open and transparent with those families and getting clear information to them helped heal the rifts that had occurred in many cases, but it was very time consuming even though it was essential for that family. The decision to physically ID victims was traumatic for the families and chaotically organized by the local Ministry. We managed to upset a government minister with our suggestions for making it easier for the family and I was embroiled in a tussle between London and Tunis. However, I managed to keep relationships cordial and when the Tunisians asked the UK Police who were there to stay in the hotels whilst they tried to sort out their processes, I was the only one allowed free movement around the area, in and out of the scene and the local government offices. It was exhausting and because I was the senior rank in Sousse, despite being just a Detective Sergeant, I was multi-tasking and doing things I’d never done before, like engage with local and UK Cabinet Ministers. I was fortunate to be part of a team from the FCO deployed in Sousse itself and as a team we were very effective, but in Policing terms, I was on my own trying to make sure that my FLO’s were able to concentrate solely on the families. 20-hour days were the norm and the pressure was relentless. But I am so proud of what we did there.
In other deployments within the UK as a FLO, you have to be constantly on your guard around your body language and the words you use. One of the many stages of grief is anger and it is this one that people can stay in the longest and can be the most damaging to them and to your relationship with them. FLO’s are very careful about the words they use. Only if operationally required will they be untruthful, they will rarely make decisions for a family, nor will they judge some of the strange requests they receive. I had a mother whose son died as a result of a one punch attack where he landed on a cobble street resulting in traumatic brain injury. Like most head injuries there was a lot of blood and after it had all been to court (the assailant got off) the mother asked for the clothes her son was wearing that night. Obviously, the top was covered in blood, but she wanted it as it was. I remember the rest of the office were uncomfortable with the request and wanted to dry clean the top, but I held out, bought a presentation box out of my own money, and put the clothes in the box. The mother told me at a memorial to her son a year or so later that she hadn’t opened the box just yet, but it was there in her view most days and that gave her some peace.
I suppose the first death message I delivered as a FLO stick’s with me, when I had to tell a mother that her daughter had killed her 6 year old granddaughter and then herself. I can still remember, 23 years later, breaking the news to this poor woman in Twickenham at 2am, who was sitting on the sofa in front of a large photograph of her daughter and granddaughter on the wall. That was a tough night.
CC - I understand FLO’s are deployed in pairs. Can you explain why that happens?
MM - FLO’s are deployed in pairs for the integrity of what is being said. Generally, one will be the lead who does all the talking and the other will be the scribe who takes notes of what is being said as well as filling in and being another pair of eyes in the case. The lead is always the one who deals with the SIO, but the opinion of the deputy is always considered. The other reason is that is always gives the family a point of contact. So if the Lead FLO is away on leave, a course, or off for a personal matter then the Deputy can take over being the contact for the family during this time.
CC - In relation to Sousse would you be willing to give us a full account for our followers to read in the future?
MM - I would and I’m happy to do a Teams talk on it if you get enough interest.
CC - Is there anything else you wish to tell us about the role of FLC/FLO?
MM - Being a FLO/FLC is a secondary duty to your normal day job and as such it requires you to be organised and be able to work unsupervised for long periods of time. If you do not mange yourself properly, it will swallow you up. All that grief and pain must seep into people and if you aren’t affected by the plight of those who have had a loved one killed, then you probably shouldn’t be a FLO. It’s not a role for an automaton, you have to be compassionate and empathetic, or you will never be able to develop the relationship between you and the family. You have to be thick skinned because families often lash out at you verbally and usually unfairly. I FLO’d the family of one of my DC’s who had died of natural causes and despite the fact that I did everything I could, from sorting out his pension to arranging a force funeral with outback riders and the force choir, she was angry at me the whole way through because I was the one who told her, her Dad was dead. I’m fortunate that I was able just to take it and accept that grief is a crippling, cruel affliction and she probably didn’t mean it but I had many a sleepless night wondering what I had done and whether I should step back. I’m glad I didn’t, you don’t do this role for platitudes, but it is incredibly satisfying knowing that you may have helped even if it’s a miniscule amount.
