Response to concern for welfare report - West Mercia Police, January 2018

On 31 January 2018 West Mercia Police received a telephone call reporting concern for the safety of a man, who had failed to attend an appointment and was not answering telephone calls. The man had alcohol issues, lived alone and had not been well recently. Initially, West Mercia Police did not deploy an officer, as they believed it was the responsibility of the caller to attend in the first instance. When the police did decide to deploy an officer, that officer was diverted to attend a more serious incident. The person who reported concerns for the man went to his home later that day and found him dead.

We reviewed telephone calls, the police incident log, and relevant policies and procedures. We also interviewed the person who made the call to West Mercia Police.

Based on the available evidence the investigation found no indication that any person serving with the police had committed a criminal offence or behaved in a manner that would justify disciplinary proceedings.