Man found dead after being reported missing - West Yorkshire Police, July 2017

In July 2017, a woman telephoned the West Yorkshire Police (WYP) control room to report her son as missing from home. The woman informed the police that her son had recently said he was hearing voices in his head telling him to jump off a nearby bridge. WYP assessed the man to be at ‘medium risk’ and commenced a missing from home investigation to locate him. The man’s body was found the following day.

We examined WYP’s risk assessment and their response to the missing from home report, including the police search and enquiries they made to locate the missing man. During our investigation, we obtained statements from staff within the police control room and officers who were engaged in the search. We also examined the police radio communications and relevant documentation.

Our investigation found that the WYP control room adhered to national and force policy and graded the incident appropriately, and that officers conducted a prompt search that was extensive and proportionate. The missing man had not had any direct contact with the police in the days prior to him being reported missing.

Our investigation concluded there was no indication any police officer or member of police staff may have behaved in a manner that would justify the bringing of disciplinary proceedings or committed a criminal offence. All police officers and staff co-operated fully with this investigation.

After reviewing our final investigation report, WYP agreed with our findings.