This page is from APP, the official source of professional practice for policing.
For a police-only response, the national decision model (NDM) should be used. For an interoperable response, the joint decision model (JDM) should be applied.
National decision model
The NDM is a six-stage police decision model that should be used to establish what is happening and agree a plan of action. The model is fully described in the National decision model APP.
Joint decision model
The JDM is based on the police NDM. When commanders arrive at the scene, it should be used to establish what is happening and to jointly agree a plan of action with other agencies.
The model guides the decision-making process in a structured and logical way. It should be used to identify the most appropriate actions to save lives and reduce harm.
The stages are:
- gathering and sharing information and intelligence
- assessing threats and risks and developing a working strategy
- considering powers, policies and procedures
- identifying options and contingencies
- taking actions and reviewing consequences
As information and intelligence arises, all commanders should go through the stages of the model to review and update the actions and outcomes.
Risk assessment
The initial incident assessment, employing the NDM or JDM, should identify any immediate potential hazards to staff and the public. The assessment is dynamic and should incorporate more information as it becomes available.
Risk assessment with multiple agencies requires seeking and sharing information about threats and hazards across those agencies. This builds a common understanding of risk and agreement on potential control measures.