But how many people actually know what Family liaison officers do? Neil Franklin spoke to a Cambridgeshire police FLO to find out.

IT is a job few of us would envy - entering a grief-stricken family desperately trying to come to terms with the death of a loved one.

But the part played by the family liaison officer (FLO) is considered crucial to most major inquiries by police forces nationwide.

So what makes a role that would have seemed alien, and possibly even pointless, to police officers working only a decade ago so significant?

Detective Constable Kim Bowen, who has been a FLO for seven of her 17 years as a police officer, has seen first-hand the importance of the role in cases including the July 7 London bombings and the killing of Gary Graham in Peterborough in June last year.

The 36-year-old detective said it was not just about comforting words and building bridges, but also gathering information that could prove instrumental to solving an investigation

DC Bowen, who has worked in Peterborough and Cambridge, but spent the past two years in the major investigations team at Cambridgeshire police's headquarters in Huntingdon, said: "The family is always vital to any investigation. Before FLOs existed, there was a lot of information that would fall by the wayside, but it is now an exchange of information.

"It is not pink and fluffy – it's about helping the family through their trauma. When you are being trained you are told it is a, 'big I for investigation and a little s for support', as we are not trained counsellors. However, we are able to put families in contact with specialist agencies which can provide support."

The gravity of the role is clear in DC Bowen's introduction to the family: "We are police officers, we are investigators, we are here to work as a link between you and the inquiry and we are here to gather information."

This information will centre on the victim – their lifestyle, who they associated with, hobbies, if they had any concerns or problems and why they were at the location at the time of the incident.

DC Bowen continued: "Then we give them (the family) the information as we know it. You have to choose your words very carefully, because the family will listen to every word. We have to be honest and upfront, but we can't always tell them everything, or we may not know all of the information.

"Withholding information from the family is unusual, and is only done following careful consideration by the senior investigating officer."

Other issues which may need addressing immediately include the formal identification of the victim – and who will carry this out – and possible media interest – the family will be kept informed of all press releases.

FLOs try to get the information to the family before anything is released to the media, which can be difficult if something is broadcast on the local radio.

DC Bowen said initial reactions from families varied but were generally positive.

"For a time, I was a FLO on cold case reviews in Northern Ireland. They had cases that were 30 years old and yet some families had never had a police officer come to their house and explain what was happening," she said.

"The feelings and emotions were like it happened yesterday. Some were very positive because they wanted information, but there were others who were still very hostile.