Contact with a man before he jumped from a roof - Devon and Cornwall Police, March 2020

At 4:10am on 13 March 2020, two people contacted Devon and Cornwall Police to report a man had threatened to jump from a third-floor window. Officers attended the address at 4:23am and after initial communication with the man it was found that he had barricaded himself in a room at the building and had gone onto the roof outside the room. Police negotiators were called. The man had consumed alcohol and taken prescription drugs and was at risk of falling off the roof. The fire service placed ladders against the house however the man threatened to jump and kicked at the ladder and threw a bottle at fire and rescue officers. At 6:35am police forced entry to the room and the man jumped causing serious injuries as he landed on the patio below.

The incident was referred to us as is mandatory after someone is seriously injured after contact with the police and we decided to carry out an independent investigation. We took accounts from the officers involved, reviewed logs and recordings, and considered relevant national and local policies and procedures.

During the investigation, there was no indication any police officer may have committed a criminal offence or behaved in a manner that would justify the bringing of disciplinary proceedings.

We recommended some learning for Devon and Cornwall Police around the use of body worn video or voice recording equipment throughout negotiations to ensure that all conversations and decisions are captured.