Response following concern for welfare report - Northumbria Police, November 2017

On 14 November 2017, Northumbria Police officers attended an address in the Tyne and Wear area at the request of the North East Ambulance Service. This was after a woman reported that her ex-partner had taken an overdose of epilepsy medication, what he told her was a quantity of ecstasy tablets, and some alcohol. The man appeared to have a seizure and the police officers attended to him while waiting for the arrival of paramedics. The man was transported to South Tyneside District Hospital where, despite medical attention, he died later the same day.

During the investigation, our investigators obtained accounts from all of the police officers who attended the address, viewed body-worn camera footage and reviewed all audio recordings of Airwave radio communications, along with documentary evidence.

Having carefully considered all of the available evidence, the Lead Investigator concluded that, in his opinion, the officers had taken all reasonable steps to provide appropriate care to the man until paramedics arrived. We did not consider there to be an indication that any police officer involved in this incident may have behaved in a manner that would justify the bringing of disciplinary proceedings or committed a criminal offence. All officers co-operated fully with this investigation.

After reviewing our report, Northumbria Police agreed with our findings.

We concluded our investigation in December 2017 but waited until the inquest into the man’s death had concluded in summer 2019 before publishing its outcomes.