Police contact with a man prior to an assault by his ex-partner - Cambridgeshire Constabulary, August 2019

On 7 August 2019, a man called Cambridgeshire Constabulary to report that his colleague’s ex-partner had been at their worksite and had thrown items about while his colleague was out. The man informed the call-handler that his colleague would be attending the police station to report the matter in person. The colleague attended March police station the same day and reported the incident. He also disclosed that his ex-partner had threatened to kill him. A risk assessment was completed which graded the risk of harm as medium - “current indicators of serious harm but they are unlikely to occur without a trigger event”. The man who attended the police station was provided with safeguarding advice and told to call 999 if his ex-partner turned up again.

The next morning, 8 August 2019, the man’s ex-partner entered his home via a back door and proceeded to assault him with a knife whilst allegedly racially abusing him. She also hit him over the head with a laptop. The man called police and they attended, along with the ambulance service. The man was taken to hospital, where it was confirmed that he sustained a “slice mark” to his arm, which was detailed as having gone through to the bone.

Witness statements were provided by police officers, staff members and a member of the public. CCTV footage, call recordings, incident logs, crime reports, and domestic violence risk assessments were also obtained and analysed.

During the investigation there was no indication that any police officer may have behaved in a manner that would justify the bringing of disciplinary proceedings or committed a criminal offence. However, two officers were notified that the report contained potential criticism around their decision making and recording.

Our investigation identified organisational learning for the force on the retention of body worn camera footage to ensure that evidential footage is retained.