Temper tactics

On a regular basis, officers on the front line are expected to remain calm and professional while they are shouted at or insulted. They know keeping their cool can help resolve a situation that might otherwise escalate if they lost their temper.

The conflict management model is the system which officers use to decide how to deal with any confrontational situation. It requires officers to take into account a variety of factors, such as where they are and whether they have back-up, as well as their relevant powers and policies, before deciding on a course of action. This can be anything from speaking to a suspect to shooting them - in the case of firearms officers. However, the model does not require officers to work through a step-by step process. For example, if the officer feels it is justified and proportionate, they can shoot a suspect without having to use other methods of resolving the situation first.

How officers resolve conflict situations has come under scrutiny recently with the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) being asked to defend itself in a judicial review brought by the families of two men shot by police officers - Mark Saunders, who was killed in May, and Dayniel Tucker who was shot in December last year (PR, 19 September). With more officers than ever due to receive their own Tasers, the issue of conflict management has rarely been more prominent.

Ian Arundale, ACPO lead on conflict management, believes the key to properly resolving any conflict lies in giving officers the right tools to do the job and making sure they understand the consequences of using them.

He says: 'In the past five years we have seen some of the most fundamental developments in relation to the equipment given to officers. This includes bringing in a national firearms training curriculum, the development and use of Taser and a programme for training firearms commanders.

'It is only now, looking back, that I realise how far we have come. In the past, if an officer's truncheon was no good the only step up was a firearm, but now they have other options. None replace the conventional firearm but they do fill a capability gap.' 367 of 1,424 words