Police’s poor communication on Nicola Bulley case is a lesson for other forces

While Lancashire constabulary's investigative focus may have been right, it will face the consequences of its disclosures for years

I have never seen anything like it," said Det Supt Becky Smith, the senior investigating officer on the case of missing Lancashire woman Nicola Bulley, last week. Though Smith was talking about the attention on social media, where wild speculation of the case had blown up, these could have been the words of anyone after what has become one of the highest profile - and most unusual - missing persons cases in years.

To those who observed it closely, there was probably only one way that Bulley left the field where her phone was discovered, still logged on to a work call, nearly a month ago. And, sadly, after a body was found on Sunday morning in the River Wyre close to where Bulley went missing, it looks as though the police may have been right.