Response to concern for welfare - Lancashire Constabulary, February 2016

On 10 February 2016 the North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) contacted Lancashire Constabulary asking them to go the home of a man who was on the phone threatening to self-harm. Officers arrived at the man’s home within 30 minutes. The attending officers administrated first aid to a superficial cut and took the man to Burnley General Hospital at his own request.

On 12 February 2016 the NWAS contacted Lancashire Constabulary again requesting police attendance at an address in Colne. Police were told a man had spoken to his girlfriend and that she had said she was going to commit suicide. Officers who went to the woman’s home subsequently established from her that it was her boyfriend who had intimated suicide. An urgent welfare check was requested at the man’s home in Burnley.

A Burnley officer arrived at the man’s home within minutes of being dispatched to the incident. The officer spoke to the man outside his home, who assured him he was not going to take his own life. The man told the officer he had said he would take his own life in response to his girlfriend saying it first. The officer resumed duties after speaking to the man.

On 13 April the man’s (by then former) girlfriend called Lancashire Constabulary reporting concern for him. Officers forced entry at his flat and found him dead on the stairs. This was the same man the police had previous contact with on 10 and 12 February.

During the investigation, statements were obtained from the officers who went to the man’s home on 10 February 2016. Investigators also interviewed the control room operator and officer who went to the man’s house on 12 February. The investigation obtained witness statements in relation to processes involved in protecting vulnerable people, and from the man’s former partner.

Based on the evidence available the Lead Investigator was of the opinion that the performance of a police dispatcher may be considered unsatisfactory on 12 February for not relaying to officers that the man had mental health issues and had been previously taken to hospital in similar circumstances.

The Lead Investigator was also of the opinion that a tribunal may find that a member of police staff had a case to answer for misconduct for failing to read the incident log, carrying out adequate checks and relaying relevant information to another officer on 12 February, and that the performance of a police officer may have been unsatisfactory on the same date.

After reviewing our report, the force disagreed that the member of police staff had a case to answer for misconduct and suggested this was a performance issue that they would deal with through learning and improvement. They were also of the view that a second control room operator and police officer who attended the scene on 12 February did not have a case to answer for misconduct.

After considering their rationale we agreed that their proposals were appropriate.

This investigation highlighted the need for Lancashire Constabulary to raise awareness and ensure understanding of the benefits of the broadcast feature to call handling and control room staff: this is to ensure that important/pertinent information added by call handlers is flagged up to the dispatcher and relayed in turn to the officer.

We also suggested the force audit the effectiveness of their training in processes used to protect vulnerable people.

The force agreed with these recommendations and advised that they had already implemented some of that learning.