This page is from APP, the official source of professional practice for policing.
An incident that is – or has the potential to become – a major and/or critical incident produces an environment that makes decision making harder. These situations (Hine and Bragias, 2021) are characterised by:
- uncertainty
- unpredictability
- time pressure
- complexity
In this type of incident, police responders will often need to fulfil multiple responsibilities, using different skillsets simultaneously. This may include:
- protecting lives
- identifying suspects
- securing and controlling the scene
- triaging
Where an incident also involves interoperability, there are likely to be challenges in communication, coordination and collaboration (Davidson and others, 2022).
Effective management of these incidents requires a clear command structure. Contingency planning for emergency response includes Joint Emergency Services Interoperability Principles (JESIP), allowing for the escalation of the incident in response, where necessary.
Where a police-only response and command operates, principles that are relevant, such as coordination and communication, can still be harnessed.