Dorset Police 2024

National Decision Model (NDM)

Everyone in policing routinely makes important decisions. We make these decisions because it is our duty to uphold the law, prevent crime and disorder, protect and reassure communities, investigate crime and bring offenders to justice.

Carrying out these duties can be physically, mentally and emotionally demanding. Our decision making can raise complex ethical issues because they affect other people, often at difficult times in their lives.

To help with this decision-making and to provide a framework in which they can be examined and challenged, both at the time and afterwards, the police service has adopted a single, national decision model (NDM).

The NDM has six key elements:

1. Gather information and intelligence.
2. Assess threat and risk and develop a working strategy.
3. Consider powers and policy.
4. Identify options and contingencies.
5. Take action and review what happened.
6. Code of Ethics; Ethical policing principles and guidance for ethical and professional behaviour in policing.

In a fast-moving incident, it may not always be possible to segregate thinking or response according to each phase of the model. In such cases, the main priority of decision makers is to keep in mind their overarching mission to act with integrity to protect and serve the public.

The NDM has at its centre the Code of Ethics, which binds the decision-making elements together. Using the model encourages officers and staff to act in accordance with the Code and use their discretion where appropriate. It also reduces risk aversion and weighs the balance of resourcing against demand, threat and risk.