Never Act Alone

Never Act Alone is the basic police-work rule Lisa Holgersson invokes after Kurt Wallander pursues a gunman alone and is left in the mud, believing he may die. The rule makes Wallander’s exposure a question of professional responsibility, but its application is clouded by a disputed account of who decided that Martinsson should stay behind.

The Rule in the Field

As the operation is dismantled, Holgersson tells Wallander that it was irresponsible to go after the gunman alone and that he should have taken Martinsson as backup. She calls never to act alone one of the basic rules of police work. Her reprimand follows Wallander’s survival: the gunman has shot himself, and Wallander has just been found in the field.

Disputed Responsibility

Holgersson says reports indicate that Wallander ordered Martinsson to stand back. Wallander denies giving that order and concludes that Martinsson was the only possible source of the account, since Elofsson and El Sayed were too far away to hear what was said. The rule therefore becomes entangled with a breach of trust: Wallander is held responsible for going alone, while he believes Martinsson has falsely described how they became separated. He confronts Martinsson physically, accusing him of spreading lies and going behind his back.