Recommendation - Thames Valley Police, June 2020
In August 2019, Thames Valley Police (TVP) received a call at 3.46am from a man who reported that his friend had been buying alcoholic drinks for a 15-year-old girl. The man, who lived above the pub where it was reported, did not allow the girl to leave with the informant. Attempts were made to resource the incident but none appeared to be available. Officers were not dispatched until 7.37am. Two officers arrived on scene and found the man in bed with the girl. It appears that one officer asked the man to move into another room while he attended to the girl. At this time, the other officer was downstairs seeking advice over the radio from a sergeant. The man was left unsupervised and managed to abscond. The man was found and arrested for rape sometime afterwards.
IOPC reference
Recommendations
The IOPC recommends that Thames Valley Police consider what measures can be taken to improve Contact Management Centre resilience and increase support to staff; with particular regard to the practice of “patching together” Local Policing Area desks.
This follows a case where Thames Valley Police did not attend a call which was graded as ‘Urgent Attendance’ for over four hours. During the investigation, it was noted that that Local Policing Area desks are “patched together” during traditionally more quiet periods, as a matter of practice. However, this practice was followed despite the shift being extremely busy. The investigation heard from contact management staff that that the Contact Management Centre is now regularly busy across all shifts which may reduce the suitability of this practice.
Do you accept the recommendation?
Yes
Accepted action:
Read Thames Valley Police and Hampshire Constabulary’s response to this recommendation.