... divorces itself from the potential liability they may face as a result of breaching a fundamental duty of care that they have been entrusted; the general consensus puts forward the idea that the police and public authorities do not owe a duty of care to the individual, but to the public as a whole. This can be inferred in the case involving Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman; 'the case led to stricter vetting procedures for those working with children and closer cooperation between police forces'2. One might consider the negligence of public authorities in such cases as creating scrutiny of public authorities that is now shaping the debate about whether the police are being given too much discretion: '...the common law, while laying upon chief officers of police an obligation to enforce law, makes no specific requirements as to the manner in which the obligation is to be discharged. That ...

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