Recommendation - Humberside Police, February 2021
A female reported to police the behaviour of her ex-boyfriend who had been harassing her. During completion of the Domestic Abuse , Stalking , Harassment and Honour based Violence (DASH) form, the victim highlighted that the perpetrator suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), anxiety and had threatened to take his own life. The male subsequently took his own life before the police had opportunity to speak with him about the alleged offences.
IOPC reference
Recommendations
The IOPC recommends that Humberside Police reviews its domestic abuse policy and includes clear guidance for officers dealing with cases where they are informed by the victim of the perpetrators suicidal threats or ideation. The guidance should detail how officers ensure that the risk to the perpetrator is clearly identifiable and visible to those involved in the investigation and/or a custody setting in order that appropriate risk assessments and arrest strategies can be considered alongside any safeguarding requirements.
When completing a DASH risk assessment with officers, the victim disclosed that the perpetrator suffered from PTSD and had previously threatened to take his own life. This information was recorded on the DASH but not recorded on other police systems in relation to the perpetrator as it was not considered that the risk to the perpetrator was high. The perpetrator did take his own life some days later prior to police speaking with him in relation to the incident. No causal link was found between the suicide and the police response but the opportunity to record intelligence about the perpetrator was missed.
Do you accept the recommendation?
Yes
Accepted action:
The recommendation is accepted by Humberside Police who are grateful for the assistance of the IOPC in identifying learning from this tragic matter. As part of our ongoing Domestic Abuse review and action plan, the following action is being taken;
- Communication to be sent to all operational officers and custody staff providing clear guidance.
- Staff completing the secondary risk assessments will be told to ensure that a police intelligence report (PIR) has been submitted if concerns of self-harm are included within the DASH form.
- FCR staff will submit a PIR if they are made aware of any self-harm concerns whilst also recording the concerns on the incident log.
- Dip samples to be conducted now, in 3 months and then 6 months’ time to ensure that this has been embedded,
- Provide feedback to the vulnerability board once this has been achieved,
- This process will then form part of our TOR when carrying out DA audits.