ARMCHAIR DETECTIVES OUR VIEW

THE hunt for missing dog walker and mother of two Nicola Bulley is almost reaching the end of its first month and police are still making repeated calls for “armchair detectives” to stop hindering their investigation.

While interest in true crime has always held a fascination for the UK public, social media and the rise in Netflix cold case documentaries has only helped increase interest.

This poses important questions about the role of the press in solving crimes. Police have traditionally issued public appeals for information via the press, often with incredible results.

However, when does this go too far? Rather than providing useful information, in the case of Nicola Bulley, many people have used her disappearance as an opportunity to vent their own theories, criticise the police, or even further their own YouTube followings with videos shot from where she is thought to have gone missing.

Police have now issued a rare order preventing the latter behaviour, but how much of their time went into following spurious leads and tackling online misinformation rather than trying to find the missing mother?

More importantly even is the effect this has on the families involved, including Nicola’s small children, who are surely the most innocent victims in this tragic tale.

increased between China and the west.

Rishi Sunak has since vowed to do “whatever it takes” to keep Britain safe and that he is in “constant touch” with the UK’s allies abroad.

One thing this global issue has shown though is the relative stability we enjoy in the west; and how much having allies matters.

The partnerships the UK has built up over decades are the very thing that prevents some of the worst global issueswar, famine, genocide ­ from knocking directly on our door.

One of the strongest arguments for staying in the European Union was just this ­ that we are stronger together.

In matters like the balloons however, it becomes clear how much more partnerships mean than sheer safety in numbers.

As the UK government works with its allies to share information, it’s this sharing of ideas, of technology, that will ultimately be our biggest strength in defending ourselves.

Perhaps rather than politicians seeking ways to constantly undermine each other then, they should remember that idea sharing ­ working together ­ is one of the strongest weapons we have.

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