Man dies following contact with police - West Midlands Police, September 2017

On 18 September 2017 West Midlands Police (WMP) received two calls regarding a man who threatened a taxi driver with a knife and then was present outside his ex-partner’s home. The same man was reported missing the day after by a relative, who expressed concerns that he intended to commit suicide.

Officers conducted enquiries and searched for the man in a variety of locations with different operational resources. The man was found dead on 20 September by a member of the public, within an area identified for searching

Our investigators interviewed and obtained statements from officers involved in searching for the man. The investigation focused on the attempts made to search for the man and the decision making in assessing his risk level in line with the available information. The investigation also assessed the contact between the man and WMP before he was found dead.

The evidence shows that WMP initially graded the risk as ‘medium’ and took a number of actions to find the man. After information regarding the man’s mental health came to light, they regraded the risk as ‘high’. This meant greater resources and increased timely tactical options available to officers assigned to the case. On the night of 19 September the National Police Air service, dog units and additional officers were all deployed in attempts to locate the man.

There was no evidence that actions, decisions or omissions by WMP officers caused or contributed to the man’s death.

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. We completed our investigation in May 2018.