Police actions when notified of the location of a man they wanted to arrest - West Yorkshire Police, April 2018

In April 2018, West Yorkshire Police (WYP) received a call from a hostel for homeless men informing them that one of the residents, who a few days earlier had a warrant issued for his arrest, had returned to the hostel. The WYP call agent initially graded the incident as a ‘priority’, which would ordinarily require a police response within 60 minutes. No officers were available to attend and the log was downgraded to ‘standard’, and subsequently closed with no officers deployed. The following day the man was found dead in his room at the hostel. There was no indication of any third-party involvement.

Our investigators obtained statements from police officers and police staff involved in the initial telephone contact with the caller and the subsequent decision-making process. Investigators reviewed recordings of the telephone conversations together with policies and procedures relating to the handling and grading of calls to the police and the deployment of resources.

The 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.

At the man’s inquest held in autumn 2018 the coroner recorded a verdict of suicide.