Police failing identified in handling of call for missing man who later died

Police failing identified in handling of call for missing man who later died

A report by the Police Investigations & Review Commissioner (PIRC) has found that Police Scotland failed to record a report for concern for a 25-year-old vulnerable man who went missing and was later found dead.

The man’s body was discovered on the beach near Musselburgh Harbour at 1750 hours on 13 October 2017, nearly 24 hours after he was last seen alive.

The man’s partner had contacted Police Scotland on several occasions between 12 October and 14 October to report that he had not returned home.

On the third call, she expressed concern for his welfare while the man’s brother also contacted police to report his concerns for him. A ‘report for concern’ was actioned and the description provided resulted in the man’s body being identified.

A finding in the PIRC report indicates that Police Scotland custody staff did not correctly complete the G4S Personal Escort Record form to highlight that the man was suicidal or at risk of self-harm prior to his transfer into the care of G4S.

Following this incident, Police Scotland has reviewed its process for dealing with calls about people in custody and has circulated a revised process to service centre staff nationally.

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