By Sheila Mckenzie-
A full independent review has been commissioned into Lancashire Police’s handling of Nicola Bulley’s(pictured) disappearance..
The review overrides the previously announced internal investigation by Lancashire Constabulary.
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Andrew Snowden, the Police and Crime Commissioner for Lancashire has commissioned the College of Policing to review the case including the force’s release of personal information about Ms Bulley.
Lancashire Police had “done their utmost” but “the narrative has been lost at times”, he said.
The force said it welcomed the review and was “keen to take the opportunity to learn”.
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Police were criticised for revealing the 45-year-old had been struggling with the menopause and alcohol issues. The review will focus on the investigation and search, communication and public engagement, and the releasing of personal information.
It comes after the police watchdog confirmed it has launched an investigation into a police visit to Ms Bulley’s home weeks before her disappearance.
An IOPC spokesperson said: “Following a referral by Lancashire Constabulary on Thursday (February 16) we have started an independent investigation regarding contact the force had with Nicola Bulley on 10 January 2023.
“We were notified by the force that an officer attended the family home on that date as part of a welfare check.”
Police confirmed on Monday that a body found in the river around one mile from where Ms Bulley was last seen was that of the missing 45-year-old.
She had been missing for more than three weeks and amateur detectives, online sleuths and social media influencers descended on St Michael’s on Wyre to look for her.
Earlier on Wednesday, an inquest heard that Ms Bulley was identified by dental records.
Opening an inquest into the death of the 45-year-old mother of two, senior coroner Dr James Adeley said he had contacted a consultant maxillofacial surgeon to ask for a comparison of her dental records.
Police and Crime Commissioner Andrew Snowden said: “The public understandably feel that there remain questions about the handling of elements of the police investigation, how it was communicated, and the decision to release personal information, which need to be answered and explained.
“In my role as Commissioner, as the public’s voice in policing in Lancashire, I also need to put in place the appropriate scrutiny to seek the right assurances and to ensure I am effectively holding the Constabulary to account.
“I am sure there will be lessons to be learned for Lancashire Constabulary, the broader policing sector and others from this case, as there are from most major investigations and I will keep the public informed of the findings in due course.”
The College of Policing is an independent body that sets national standards for policing.
The review will focus on three areas; the investigation and search, communication and public engagement, and the release of personal information.
Ms Bulley’s body was pulled from the River Wyre in Lancashire on Sunday, more than three weeks after she was last seen on January 27.
Confirming it had launched an investigation, a spokesman for the IOPC said: “Following a referral by Lancashire Constabulary on Thursday, we have started an independent investigation regarding contact the force had with Nicola Bulley on January 10 2023.
“We were notified by the force that an officer attended the family home on that date as part of a welfare check.”
An inquest opening heard how the 45-year-old mother-of-two was identified by her dental records.
Preston Coroner’s Court was told maxillofacial surgeon Andrew Ian Edwards had examined the 45-year-old’s dental records, which had been obtained by police from her dental surgery.
Speaking at the opening of the inquest into Ms Bulley’s death, senior coroner Dr James Adeley said: “He [the surgeon] examined the body that was located in the River Wyre near Rawcliffe Road in St Michael’s on Wyre at 2.15pm on February 20.”
Dr Adeley said the surgeon found restorative work carried out was identical and added that he is “satisfied on the balance of probabilities, and more, that positive identification has been made.”
The hearing, which lasted around five minutes, was not attended by Ms Bulley’s partner Paul Ansell or any other family.
Dr Adeley said the family were informed of the date of the opening of the inquest and chose not to attend, for “reasons I can understand”.
He added that remaining evidence gathered by police and the post-mortem examination required “further evaluation” and a full inquest was likely to be held in June.
In a statement released on Monday, Ms Bulley’s family said she was “the centre of our world” and “the one who made our lives so special”.
A memorial gathering in tribute to Nicola Bulley has been arranged in her home town in Essex to take placeat the bandstand at Queen Elizabeth II Square in South Woodham Ferrers for 20:00 GMT on Thursday.
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