Response to missing person’s report - West Midlands Police, April 2016

Early in 2015 a woman contacted West Midlands Police to report that her boyfriend had failed to return home after a night out.

The man was initially classified as an absent person as he was not where he was expected to be. He was then reclassified as a low-risk missing person. A couple of days later the risk assessment was reassessed as medium risk and, another two days later, was escalated to high risk. The missing person investigation to locate the man lasted for several months.

Approximately six months later, a decision was made to place the case as inactive with regular reviews following receipt of any new information.

The man’s body was found in 2016. An inquest held later recorded a verdict of misadventure.

We investigated the force’s actions and response to the missing person’s report. Seven officers were subjects of our investigation.

During the investigation, investigators interviewed a number of witnesses and the officers who were subjects of the investigation and examined a substantial volume of material.

The evidence suggests that the risk assessments and reviews of those assessments were carried out in line with the force’s Missing and Absent Persons policy. Our investigation found that the manner in which search information was collated may have caused confusion as to what areas had been searched and how thoroughly this task was carried out. The evidence also suggests that numerous lines of enquiry were pursued and that there was a correlation between the use of resources and the escalation of the risk assessment.

At the conclusion of the investigation, seven out of the seven officers investigated were found to have no case to answer. We found performance issues for one officer, in relation to their not taking into account all the information available when assessing the risk at an early stage of the investigation.

After reviewing our report, West Midlands Police agreed, and confirmed that the officer would receive advice, in the form of a learning debrief around our investigation report.

The force also advised that they would refer this case to the Missing Persons Operational Group to review guidance around how a search is co-ordinated in similar cases.