This page is from APP, the official source of professional practice for policing.
Media strategy
Forces should have an effective media strategy as part of the public order public safety (POPS) planning process.
An effective media strategy will assist in demonstrating the legitimacy, proportionality, legality and transparency of the policing response to an event or operation.
The gold POPS commander is responsible for developing a media plan as part of a POPS operation. They should consider early engagement with force media, communication and engagement leads. They should also consider appointing a bronze media role in the POPS command structure.
Effective communication
A media plan should also be developed alongside a community impact assessment (CIA) to facilitate effective communication with the public through media forums and community engagement. This will assist in providing a consistent message and will reduce the opportunities for rumours or for conflicting police messages to circulate.
Gold POPS commanders should also consider the communication considerations in this POPS APP.
If forces have any queries in relation to what can or cannot be shared publicly, they should contact the College of Policing POPS Unit at [email protected].