MOST police officers face times of stress during their career. But supporting, informing and advising a heartbroken family through a torturous 15-month murder inquiry and a draining five-week Crown Court trial would be stressful for even the most composed of officers.

PC Mick Matthews has been a family liaison officer (FLO) for two years and a police officer for 27 years.

But despite working with the victim of an armed siege in Chippenham and with a Muslim family torn apart by a triple shooting, nothing could have prepared the father-of-two for the Natalie Williams murder inquiry.

He said: "The issues from day one were emotionally intensive. It was very stressful.

"In the first three to four days I was working 16-hour shifts.

"At the end I felt drained and tired," he added.

The family liaison role is dual-pronged, combining the functions of investigator and go-between, acting as the information flow between the family and senior investigating officers.

PC Matthews worked closely with 33-year-old Natalie's parents, Bob and Muriel Hussey, keeping them in touch with the investigation from the arrest of husband Randle through to the subsequent murder trial.

"They are a lovely family which in a sense made it harder for me to tell them certain information," he said.

"They wanted to know everything to answer their questions but I had information I couldn't give to the family because it would have been prejudicial."

Throughout the inquiry the FLO role is a balancing act.

Every scrap of information given to the family has to be documented and re-corded so as not to prejudice the trial.

PC Matthews said: "We can't lie to the family, you have to be open with them all the way.

"You are not a counsellor but you try to be a magnet to take some of the stress away from them."

Even with murderer Randle Williams safely behind bars PC Matthew's work continues with the inquest and chance of an appeal still looming large.

Family liaison officers were first drafted in after the findings of the Stephen Lawrence inquiry were published.

Det Con Jo Spencer, divisional family liaison co-ordinator, said the division has a total of 16 FLO's with 58 trained countywide and 25 working with victims' families right now.

In-house courses covering bereavement, the legal system and diversity issues are offered to trainee FLO's with mandatory counselling sessions provided both during and after each job.

DC Spencer said: "In the past we didn't always consider the role of the officer but we realise now what we are asking them to do."