Recommendation - West Midlands Police, August 2020
On 23 July 2019 a man called the Police stating he was going to hang himself. Officers arrived quickly and the evidence suggests there was no conduct concern and that he was dead before they arrived. However, it took officers over an hour to access his apartment partly due to the unavailability of an enforcer. One officer returned to the station to discover there were no approved methods of entry kits available. The officer then stated he proceeded to search a number of response vehicles. Due to the importance of the incident he managed to find a sledge hammer in the police station and made his way back to the location. It had taken officers some time to force their way through what was a heavy duty door using a sledge hammer and crowbar. The officers managed to gain access and the male was found deceased.
IOPC reference
Recommendations
The IOPC recommends that managing officers at Stechford police station conduct an audit to establish whether additional approved methods of entry kits are required and to formally consider whether such equipment is being suitably located and managed.
This recommendation was made following the outcome of a Death and Serious Injury report that highlighted a problem with officers from Strechford police station being able to force entry into a property because they could not locate appropriate equipment in a timely manner. While the IOPC recognised that forces have dealt with funding issues in recent years, it was of concern that the officers in this case were unable to locate basic equipment in what could reasonably be described as a life and death incident.
Do you accept the recommendation?
Yes
Accepted action:
West Midlands Police have accepted the recommendations outlined by the IOPC. A local audit of Method Of Entry (MOE) kits was undertaken at Stechford Police station in response to the learning. A wider audit of MOE kit was then undertaken across the Force. The audit focussed on the following key points:
- How many are located at each location
- Where are these kits located
- Are officers aware of how to locate these
The responses identified the availability of MOE kits; their locations; access; storage and maintenance. The audit revealed that officers across Force Response, Neighbourhood Task Force and Gangs team are trained in the use of MOE kit. However, the audit highlighted the need to have more officers trained in the use of MOE. This is being addressed by the PSD Prevention & Intervention team in collaboration with WMP Learning & Development’