Going through the responses to the rape and murder of a PG medico at Kolkata, one cannot but feel that The Kolkata Police might have missed anticipating the gravity of the public response, among other things. One of the cardinal roles public leaders have to perform is leading responses to events, be it a public order problem or an incident in an intrastate or interstate conflict. So, one was mulling a model for analysing issues, where decision making can go along a structured framework ( thoughts are inspired by a senior colleague from London Metropolitan Police, who, when talking about how he led the response to the London riots of 2011 mentioned the [UK National Decision Model](https://www.college.police.uk/app/national-decision-model/national-decision-model)) 1. Have facts. From the investigating team, from the intel people, from public. Study them, be thorough with them, to a level of fluency. 2. Assess the emotions involved. 3. Make a value based analysis. Think what has happened, as much as possible from First Principles (see Descartes). Think what the situation demands; what you should do. Consultations can help reduce biases and inconsistencies and improve clarity, so can putting the matter into paper- if time permits. This is almost on the lines of Ethos-Pathos-Logos Model. Which is useful for any communication. --- ###### Summary In order to analyse any public event, the following template can be used 1. The facts 1. Sequence 2. Persons 3. Material back and foreground 4. The system 2. Analysis of emotions involved. 3. Value based analysis. ©The Little Lettersmith