Recommendations - West Midlands Police, July 2020
In March 2019, police officers from West Midlands Police’s Firearms Operations Unit assisted in the execution of a Section 8 Police And Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) search warrant, following a Public Protection Unit (PPU) investigation. Firearms officers gained access to the property using a set of keys. The chain was across the door and they used an enforcer to force entry. The occupant of the address was in a bedroom opposite officers. He was stood, wrapped in a duvet, concealing his right hand. Officers called for the occupant to exit and show his hands. He did not comply. Officers continued to negotiate with the occupant who further refused to comply with officer commands. A Firearms Support Dog was requested. Upon approaching the door, the dog barked. The occupant removed the duvet he was wrapped in and quickly raised his right hand and moved towards officers. A single shot was fired by officers, striking the occupant in the upper right chest. First-aid was provided and an ambulance requested. Ambulance crews attended however the occupant was pronounced deceased at the scene. A non-police firearm was recovered from the address.
IOPC reference
Recommendations
The IOPC recommends that West Midlands Police ensure the Force Control Room be formally notified and a log be created, with key details e.g. address, in advance of any firearms operations. Should additional resources or medical assistance be required, this will avoid confusion regarding the location of the incident and prevent any delay in deploying said resources.
In this instance, there was confusion regarding the address of the incident, within the Force Control Room, as there was a similarly named street located within another area under West Midlands Police’s remit. Had the Force Control Room been made aware, and a log created, prior to the firearms operation, this would have limited the scope of any confusion and/or delay.
Do you accept the recommendation?
Yes
Accepted action:
The recommendations from this case were shared with key stakeholders within West Midlands Police and tracked as part of a strategic GOLD meeting chaired by an Assistant Chief Constable. All recommendations have been progressed and completed. This recommendation has been embedded almost straight away, with firearm operations now creating a separate incident log for the awareness of Force Contact staff, if the need for urgent medical care and assistance is required.
The IOPC recommends that West Midlands Police ensure adequate arrangements / contingencies are in place to ensure medical treatment is available in the event immediate medical assistance is required during pre-planned firearms operations.
In this particular instance, immediate ambulance assistance was required following the discharge of a police firearm. Due to confusion within the Force Control Room, the ambulance was dispatched to an incorrect address. This was rectified within minutes and medical experts stated this had no bearing on the outcome in this case yet, in future cases, a similar occurrence could have a detrimental impact on the care of gunshot victims.
The IOPC suggests that a specific member of the firearms operation e.g. TAC or TFC be responsible for requesting an ambulance directly as they will have greater knowledge of the address, avoiding any confusion or delays. If this is not possible, the Force Control Room could be utilised to request this, however, full address details should be handed over at the time of the request to the Force Control Room, to ensure the ambulance is sent to the correct address.
Do you accept the recommendation?
Yes
Accepted action:
The recommendations from this case were shared with key stakeholders within West Midlands Police and tracked as part of a strategic GOLD meeting chaired by an Assistant Chief Constable. All recommendations have been progressed and completed. This recommendation has been embedded almost straight away, with firearm operations now creating a separate incident log, if the need for urgent medical care and assistance is required. This issue is addressed as part of planning and during the firearms briefing.
The IOPC recommends that West Midlands Police introduce a policy/practice which ensures an officer of designated rank (the IOPC suggests Inspector or above) has overall responsibility for identifying Next of Kin and ensuring appropriate delivery of the death message, in police shooting related deaths.
On this occasion, it took almost 12 hours for the deceased’s family to be notified of his death. The IOPC accepts that the fault is not entirely that of West Midlands Police and a delay of approximately two hours was as a result of waiting for IOPC investigators to attend the family address with officers. When the death message was delivered, it was done so by a junior officer with little to no experience of these matters. The officer in question had been provided with a ‘form of words’ to relay to the family.
In order to minimise delays and provide appropriate care and sensitivity, senior officers should be responsible for identifying a Next of Kin as soon as possible and ensuring junior officers, with no family liaison experience, are not sent with ‘a form of words’ to read out to the deceased’s family.
Do you accept the recommendation?
Yes
Accepted action:
The recommendations from this case were shared with key stakeholders within West Midlands Police and tracked as part of a strategic GOLD meeting chaired by an Assistant Chief Constable. All recommendations have been progressed and completed. There has been an internal consultation process on the notification of death guidance- guidance given to staff on how to manage appropriate messaging to families. This guidance was shared with senior leaders within West Midlands Police for onward dissemination and discussion with teams.