Response to missing person’s report - West Midlands Police, April 2017

On 1 April 2017 West Midlands Police received a missing person’s report from the carer of an elderly man, after visiting his home as part of a routine visit. The man was a wheelchair user and had a history of mental health issues that were managed by medication.

The force conducted a missing person’s enquiry. On 10 April the search team found the man’s body in a canal, near to his home. At the inquest held subsequently, the coroner was unable to say whether the man had intentionally ended his life or had died as the result of an accident.

Our investigators reviewed the call logs, missing persons’ log, records from the police search advisor, and strategies used in order to find the missing man. They also viewed the scene where the man was found dead and the locality of his home.

The evidence indicated that West Midlands Police had followed national and local guidance. There was no indication any police officer had behaved in a manner that would justify the bringing of disciplinary proceedings or had committed a criminal offence.