Watchdog calls for police to be trained on handling of missing person reports

PIRCPolice Scotland must ensure that all police officers receive appropriate training and guidance in assessing missing person reports, the Police Investigations & Review Commissioner (PIRC) has said.

The watchdog has published a report which concludes that there was a delay in police going to the flat of a missing 37-year-old man who was later found dead.

The man’s body was found at his home in Glasgow, at 6.05pm on 10 October 2018, more than 24 hours after care staff first reported him missing to police.

The watchdog concluded that the sergeant handling the incident should have sent officers to the man’s flat when he was first reported as missing at 5.14pm hours on 9 October 2018 rather than waiting for a second missing person report to be raised the following day.

It is not possible to determine whether his death could have been prevented. The commissioner’s report has recommended further training for police in assessing missing person reports.

Care staff who visited the man twice a day reported him as missing, after they had been unable to make contact with him for 24 hours. The man, who suffered from mental health issues, had previously been reported missing on numerous occasions but on those occasions had always been found by police or returned home voluntarily within six hours.

The sergeant dealing with the report made initial enquiries and was told by a constable that a member of the concierge staff at the man’s flat had said that he had seen the man at the property between 2am and 4am. The sergeant discussed the matter with an inspector and concluded that the man did not fit Police Scotland’s criteria for a missing person. He decided to take no further action.

However, the report found the inspector did not check that all appropriate steps had been taken to trace the man, including going to the man’s flat, before he agreed to the sergeant’s decision.

Care staff reported the man missing for a second time, at 2.20pm the next day, after they had been unable to gain entry to the man’s home. They highlighted their increasing concern for the man’s well-being to the police.

On this occasion, the same sergeant chose to send officers to the man’s home. When they got there at 4pm they were unable to establish contact with the man.

The man was found dead inside the house at 6.05pm when entry was forced into the flat.

The incident was referred by Police Scotland to the PIRC on 15 October 2018. The commissioner’s investigation focussed on the actions of police staff in relation to the missing person reports from care staff.

The commissioner has recommended that all officers, in particular the sergeant, receive appropriate training/guidance on assessing missing person reports.

The commissioner also pointed to the actions of the inspector, recommending that he is reminded of the importance of checking that all steps have been taken before agreeing with a course of action.

Additionally, it is recommended that the constable who passed on information from concierge staff at the man’s flat should be reminded of the need to note personal details of anyone giving information during enquiries.

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