Response to report of abduction - Metropolitan Police Service, July 2017

On 19 July 2017 the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) received two 999 calls from a woman saying she believed her daughter and niece had been taken by her husband and she was concerned he would harm them.

The caller’s niece was subsequently found dead and her daughter was taken to hospital with serious injuries.

Our investigation was conducted in order to examine the police response to the reports that the two women were missing.

We examined a great deal of police documentation, including all the police computer-aided despatch (CADs) generated by the incident, and other material. We listened to the recordings of the 999 calls and obtained accounts obtained from the caller and other family members. We obtained accounts from the MPS call handlers involved in the matter. We also obtained statements from a number of police officers involved in the missing person search and sought clarification where necessary. We examined MPS policies in relation to missing persons’ investigations.

The evidence indicated that the police responded to the calls in a prompt manner. The death and serious injuries occurred before the police became involved in the matter.

The investigation found no indication of misconduct on the part of any police officers or police staff during the missing persons’ investigation.