The unfolding McSkimming and Coster police controversy is confronting. What has been striking is that, for once, Parliament has spoken with rare unity. Across the political spectrum there has been agreement that something has gone fundamentally wrong in the handling of this case. And that unity should tell us something. Reputations are not lost because allegations are true or untrue. They are lost when allegations are not investigated.

In this case, the public is not only questioning the facts, they are questioning the judgment of those who chose not to follow clear process when concerns were first raised. That is where the real reputational damage sits. When procedures are bypassed, the organisation loses control of the narrative. Issues that could have been examined quietly and fairly become land mines buried for another day, waiting to detonate at the worst possible moment.

This is the irony of reputational management. The safest path is not to minimise, downplay or hope a complaint will wither on its own. The safest path is due process. Treat all allegations seriously, investigate impartially, and document the steps taken. Safe disposal of issues is not weakness. It is a sign of a steady hand, respect for complainants and respondents alike, and an understanding that transparency is the only real protection for both individuals and institutions.

Had proper process been followed as McSkimming moved through recruitment, the Police would be in a very different position today. The public would be debating the facts of the case, not the competence of the leadership. Instead, an avoidable vacuum has been created, and it is being filled with speculation, commentary and mistrust.

There is a broader lesson here. Organisations cannot choose which complaints deserve scrutiny based on personal judgments about credibility or context. Assuming an allegation is just a relationship gone sour is how institutions end up blindsided and credibility ends up on the line. Due process is not bureaucracy for its own sake. It is reputational risk management in its purest form. It preserves trust. It protects careers. And in moments like this, it is the only thing that separates a contained issue from a crisis.