Complaint regarding response to missing person’s report - West Midlands Police, October 2017

On 15 October 2017, West Midlands Police (WMP) officers were called to the home of a man who was having a psychotic episode. When they arrived they found that he had barricaded himself inside. An ambulance was called and, having been persuaded to open the door, the man was taken to hospital.

In the early hours of 16 October, the man was transferred to a specialist psychiatric hospital for assessment. At 6.24am, a member of hospital staff called West Midlands Police to report the man missing. The man was graded as a medium risk missing person. On 20 October the risk assessment was changed to high. On 22 October the man was found dead in a brook near to the hospital.

The man’s family expressed concerns as to why WMP did not search the area where the man had last been seen, and was eventually found, earlier. We investigated the actions and decisions of WMP between 16 and 22 October 2017.

During the investigation, the investigators obtained witness statements from officers, examined local policy and national guidance, and reviewed various other documentation. This included looking in detail at the relevant police logs for this investigation. Investigators also visited the location where the man was found.

Evidence indicated that WMP reviewed their search strategy throughout the missing person investigation. When reporting him missing, the caller stated that the man had said he was going home. Therefore, many of the lines of enquiry were focused around the man’s home address. On 20 October 2017, when the grading of risk was raised to high, WMP contacted the Police Search Adviser for specialist search advice. This resulted in the force finding the man.

Based on the evidence available, we did not uphold the complaint.