Response to an identified risk of suicide - Sussex Police, November 2017
At 1.12pm on 20 November 2017, a specialist Sussex Police unit received a request for assistance following concerns raised about a visitor to the UK whose last known location was Heathrow airport, London. The man was reported to have flown to Heathrow for a planned trip to the UK, but had not returned as expected. His family found a note indicating the man intended to end his life at Beachy Head in Sussex, and raised concerns about his welfare.
A police officer started to conduct research to find out if the man had left the UK. By 4pm the man’s photograph had been circulated at Beachy Head. Checks with the airline had confirmed the man did not board his flight back home three days earlier. At 10.52pm the man’s photograph was passed to the missing person team.
Following a divisional meeting the following morning, the man was considered to be a high-risk missing person and efforts to locate him were led by the missing person team.
A short time later, a pile of belongings believed to belong to the missing man were found in the Beachy Head area. Sussex Police and HM Coastguard were unable to find the man. CCTV footage confirmed the missing man had been in the area at 3pm on 20 November.
On 6 December an unidentified body was found on the coastline a short distance away from Beachy Head. This was later identified as the missing man. An inquest concluded in August 2018 recorded the man’s death as suicide.
Our investigation considered the decisions made and the actions taken by Sussex Police in their response to the concerns made for the missing man.
Our investigators analysed and considered Sussex Police incident logs. They also reviewed relevant policies and guidance for determining when a person should be considered missing and which police force should have responsibility for conducting the investigation. We obtained a large volume of email communications and spoke to a number of Sussex Police officers. We also obtained and analysed working agreements between Sussex Police, HM Coastguard and local volunteers at Beachy Head.
We found no evidence to indicate Sussex Police could have done anything further to respond to the concerns about the man. The volume of evidence suggested the man was last known to be in London and there was no evidence to indicate he had travelled into Sussex. Sussex Police tried to ensure the right people and resources were aware of the concerns for his welfare. By 10am on the morning of 21 November, Beachy Head remained the only possible location linked to the man, who was then declared a high-risk missing person in Sussex. Despite efforts to try and locate him, the man was not found until it was confirmed his body had been located on a beach.
At the end of the investigation, based on the evidence available, we found no indication that any person serving with the police may have behaved in a manner that would justify the bringing of disciplinary proceedings, or had committed a criminal offence.
After reviewing our report, the force agreed.