Lancashire Constabulary had been found to ‘require improvement’ in how it investigated crime months before the force investigated Nicola Bulley’s disappearance.
The force had been Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary to be ‘good’ overall but was not always carrying out investigations ‘timely’ and ‘thoroughly’.
The watchdog added that victims ‘weren’t always updated on progress’ on cases.
A statement from the constabulary said: “We acknowledge the findings of the HMICFRS report in which we are graded as ‘good’ in six areas, and where any areas for improvement were identified work is already underway to address these.”
Meanwhile, a TikTok user who lied to police and filmed officers as they pulled Nicola Bulley’s body from the River Wyre has been unmasked as barber Curtis Arnold.
The 34-year-old posted footage of officers searching the water’s edge across several social media channels and later admitted to earning close to £900 in royalties for the posts.
The TikTok account which had been dedicated to coverage of the Nicola Bulley case – spun as “media done differently” – has since been removed.
