Police contact before death - Northumbria Police, July 2016

In April 2016, Northumbria Police received a report from a care home that an elderly patient had been assaulted. Initial police enquiries identified three members of staff as being involved, and all three attended voluntarily at a police station for interview. In June 2016, a Northumbria police sergeant discontinued the investigation due to a lack of evidence, and recorded that a detective constable had informed the three members of staff from the care home of the discontinuance. In July 2016, one staff member was found dead in their home. Attending police officers told the spouse of the member of staff that the investigation had been discontinued.

The detective constable subsequently told a supervising officer they had not informed the care home staff members that the investigation was discontinued.

Our investigators took statements from a number of police officers, obtained and analysed relevant police records, identified an indication of misconduct for the sergeant and the detective constable, and interviewed them under misconduct caution. Both officers admitted they had not told the members of staff from the care home that the police investigation had been discontinued.

Based on the evidence available the Lead Investigator was of the opinion that a reasonable panel, properly directed, could find that the detective constable had a case to answer for misconduct for failing to inform the care home members of staff that the investigation was finalised and no further action would be taken; and that the police sergeant had a case to answer for misconduct for failing to ensure that the staff members were informed of the same.

After reviewing our report, Northumbria Police agreed that the police sergeant had a case to answer for misconduct. Following a misconduct meeting, the sergeant received management advice. Northumbria Police did not find misconduct for the detective constable, but provided them with words of advice.

We completed our investigation in April 2017, but waited until the inquest into the member of staff’s death had taken place (in November 2018) to publish our findings. The Coroner concluded that they had taken their own life.