Family Liaison officers within the MPS

Freedom of information request reference no: 01.FOI.23.034158

I note you seek access to the following information:

1. Please tell me, as of the date of this request, how many family liaison officers are deployed within the Met?

2. For the ones who applied for the position, could you please tell me the level of screening each applicant had to undergo before they were accepted for the role (for example, psychological screening undertaken prior to attending the Family Liaison training course etc).

3. Please tell me how many officers who became FLO's did not receive any vetting/screening at all.

Decision

I have today decided to disclose the located information to you in full.

Please find below information pursuant to your request above.

Q1 - Please tell me, as of the date of this request, how many family liaison officers are deployed within the Met?

There were, as of the 16th of November 2023, 377 Family Liaison Officers (FLOs) deployed in the MPS.

Q2 - For the ones who applied for the position, could you please tell me the level of screening each applicant had to undergo before they were accepted for the role (for example, psychological screening undertaken prior to attending the Family Liaison training course etc).

All FLOs are volunteers for the role. Prior to attending their FLO course, they must be approved as suitable to attend by their Family Liaison Co-ordinator (since the implementation of the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) recommendations following the Stephen Port investigation, more recently, officers must also have the approval of their line manager). All officers also undergo Occupational Health Psychological Screening prior to attending their FLO course.

Q3 - Please tell me how many officers who became FLO's did not receive any vetting/screening at all.

All police officers are security cleared when they join the MPS and are vetted throughout their employment with the MPS. Additionally, all FLOs receive psychological screening prior to attending their course.

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