Police contact investigated after man self-inflicts gunshot wound – Humberside Police, February 2023

Humberside Police received information about a man in a house reportedly with a gun. Two women were also at the address. Police checks showed that the man was wanted for suspected possession and supply of drugs, and he had recorded warnings for firearms.

A risk assessment meeting was held the following day, and a firearms operation was authorised. Firearms officers arrived at the scene and surrounded the property.

The firearms officers spoke to one of the women inside the house, who told them there was a large dog inside. A dog legislation officer was called to assist with containing the dog.

A noise described as a bang was heard from inside the house. Officers entered the house and found the man dead from an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

We received a death or serious injury referral from the force and decided to independently investigate the circumstances of the police contact with the man before his death, including the nature and extent of that contact, and if there was any evidence that the police may have caused or contributed to his death. We also examined whether the police’s actions were in line with local and national policies and procedures.

We did not investigate the man’s death as that was a matter for the police and coroner.

Our investigators attended the scene to oversee Humberside Police’s response to the incident. We analysed CCTV footage, police officers’ body worn camera footage, and radio and Teams recordings. Statements were taken from all the officers involved.

We concluded there was no indication that a person serving with the police committed a criminal offence or behaved in a manner to justify disciplinary proceedings.

We found Humberside Police responded to the incident appropriately, dispatching armed response officers to ‘contain and call out’ as the preferred method. While there were some delays and confusion during the incident, none of them had any material impact on the tragic outcome. We found the actions and decisions taken by the police in line with policies and procedures.

We carefully considered whether there were any learning opportunities arising from the investigation. We make learning recommendations to improve policing and public confidence in the police complaints system and prevent a recurrence of similar incidents.

We did not identify any organisational learning in this case.