LET'S make one thing clear.
The whole point of the investigation into the blunders which allowed cop killer Glaister Butler to murder detective Mick Swindells is to prevent it happening again.
Not for NHS West Midlands to spend more than two years prevaricating over the exact events which led to the brave officer's death.
Dare we suggest that the hesitance which seems to have dogged this inquiry is exactly the sort of shilly-shallying which contributed to this tragedy?
It didn't take long for it to emerge that a catalogue of errors in the treatment of Butler, a paranoid schizophrenic, helped lead to his fatal confrontation with detective Swindells.
So why on earth is it taking so long for health chiefs to reveal the lessons which need to be learned?
Heaven forbid this report has become bogged down by bureaucracy or stuck in someone's in-tray.
Both the police and the public deserve answers now. While health chiefs drag their heels other officers are selflessly putting their lives on the line.
We only hope that the price we all pay for their slow response is not the ultimate one.
Detective Swindells isn't the only victim of blunders in our care in the community system. We need to do our utmost to make sure he is the last.