Police response to the welfare concern of a man - Leicestershire Police, August 2020
On 4 August 2020 at 9:28pm, Leicestershire Police received a call from a member of the public with concerns for a man who they believed was drunk and attempting to drive his car. The caller stated that the man was known to police and the psychiatric team as high risk for suicide, and that he was currently struggling with grief.
The contact handler completed a THRIVE (threat, harm, risk, investigation, vulnerability, engagement) risk assessment and officers were dispatched to the scene at 9.36pm as an immediate response. The incident log shows that four officers attended the scene from 9.39pm. It detailed how officers confirmed they were with the car but there was no one in it, nor anyone matching the description of the male in the street. At 9.43pm an officer updated the control room to say they believed they had just passed the man walking down the street. Four minutes later the incident log was updated to say that the man was walking down the street, and the car was locked and secure. At 9.48pm the incident was closed.
At 10:42pm, Leicestershire Police received a call from East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) reporting that a man had been found unresponsive on a bench with a noose around his neck. He was taken to hospital and was placed in an induced coma. His injuries were thought to be life changing. The incident was referred to us as a death or serious injury investigation on 6 August and declared independent on 10 August 2020. The investigation type was changed to a conduct matter during the course of the investigation, as there was an indication that a person serving with Leicestershire Police may have behaved in a manner that would justify bringing disciplinary proceedings.
During the investigation, we examined several pieces of evidence including the incident logs and calls, police radio transmissions, witness accounts, and subject account. We compared this to relevant police policy and procedures. Our investigation concluded in June 2021. There was no indication that any person serving with Leicestershire Police may have committed a criminal offence or behaved in a manner that would justify bringing disciplinary proceedings.
We determined a performance issue for the call handler and advised that the call handler should review the call with their supervisor to identify the learning opportunities from the way the call was managed. The call handler also believed they had not been trained on the Leicestershire Police Adult Safeguarding Hub Policy & Procedure and it was determined that they should be given the opportunity to complete such training so they can fully understand their responsibility for ensuring adults at risk are properly recorded, and the risk of harm to individuals is reduced.
Throughout this investigation, we have carefully considered whether there are any opportunities for organisational learning or improvement. In this case, we did not identify any organisational learning