This page is from APP, the official source of professional practice for policing.
Critical incident management (CIM) has its origins in the response to the public inquiry which followed the investigation into the murder of Stephen Lawrence in 1993.
The overriding tenet is risk management. However, a number of principles underpin CIM. It is rarely one factor alone or the actions or inactions of just one person that cause a critical incident.
Different types of incidents can become critical. Often they are regarded as high profile, serious or homicide related, but this is not always the case.
The police service has a duty to respond to every incident in the appropriate way, first time every time and at every level. A proactive response prevents a significant loss of confidence in the police.