Response to concern for welfare/missing person’s report - South Wales Police, September 2017
On 12 September 2017, a charity worker contacted South Wales Police (SWP) to report that a failed asylum seeker who had been staying at his address had not returned for a couple of days and that he was concerned for his welfare. The call was categorised as a concern for welfare and not formally recorded as a missing person report.
Between 12 September 2017 and 14 September 2017 a number of enquiries were conducted by SWP officers in an attempt to trace this person.
On 14 September 2017 it was reported that a body had been found in the Swansea Marina. It was later confirmed that this was the person reported as a concern for welfare. A review of CCTV by SWP identified that this person had entered the water in Swansea Marina at about 12.16am on 10 September, approximately 67 hours before being reported to the police. It also revealed that he appeared to have decided to enter the water of his own volition and no other persons were present at this time.
As the person was not recorded as a missing person, no formal timescale for a review of the initial risk assessment was put in place. However, the incident log indicated that officers took action to carry out appropriate enquiries at regular intervals.
The person was not recorded as a missing person despite satisfying the definition of a missing person in the relevant SWP policy. As a result, SWP did not circulate him as a missing person on their own systems or the Police National Computer and the procedures for reviewing the risk assessment were not put in place.
We were of the opinion that the performance of some of the officers and staff involved may be considered unsatisfactory.
After reviewing our report the force agreed to disseminate the lessons learnt from this investigation by reminding officers and staff of the definition of a missing person, and by reminding Public Service Centre staff to follow standard operating procedures when dealing with reports of missing persons.