About this page. This page summarises a Domestic Homicide Review published in the Home Office DHR Library. The full report is available at the source link below. Victim and perpetrator names are not included in extracted summaries on this page.
Source · Domestic Homicide Review
Hackney review
CSP: Hackney
Published: April 2023
Year of death: 2014
Extracted: 17 recs
Statutory domestic homicide review under section 9 of the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004. Source: Home Office DHR Library.
View full report (PDF) ↗
Source: Home Office DHR Library
Summary
The review identifies significant Metropolitan Police failures in classifying and investigating a domestic abuse threat, including inadequate supervision, missed referrals to child social care, and a lack of an arrest plan. Systemic issues like understaffing in the Community Safety Unit and poor emergency call handling also contributed to the tragic outcome.
Extracted recommendations
| # | Recommendation | Addressed to |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The MPS should ensure that the risk assessment section of the planned mobile data replacement for Report Book 124D includes clear guidance and prompts to officers that any response by a domestic abuse survivor in the affirmative must also contain a full explanation of context and meaning as well as a requirement for primary supervision actions to be recorded | Metropolitan Police Service |
| 2a | Any threat to life in a domestic abuse context must be reviewed by an inspector who will be responsible for implementing and directing actions in line with the threat to life policy | Metropolitan Police Service |
| 2b | First and second line managers have demonstrably undertaken their primary supervision duties before the report can be allocated for secondary investigation by the CSU while ensuring that this not cause delay to the investigation | Metropolitan Police Service |
| 2c | When children are named as potential victims, witnesses or are living in the household, a pre-assessment checklist has been generated and shared with Children’s Services | Metropolitan Police Service |
| 2d | The Crime Report Information Bureau will not confirm the classification unless and until the above has been completed | Metropolitan Police Service |
| 2e | System generated reminders for CSU investigations should be diverted for remedial action (and not just copied) to the next line manager when an officer is absent for any period longer than seven days | Metropolitan Police Service |
| 3 | The MPS should review its Human Resources support system to ensure that a report of staff absence in a CSU through work-related stress will prompt an immediate review of the officer’s work file on CRIS and clear accountability transferred and monitored by the next level of supervision until return to duty | Metropolitan Police Service |
| 4 | To provide reassurance and improve confidence in the system for safeguarding children and young people, the MPS in Hackney should report to the City and Hackney Safeguarding Children Board that all failed processes have been rectified and appropriate checks and balances are in place in line with the actions arising from this review | Metropolitan Police Service (Hackney Borough) | City and Hackney Safeguarding Children Board |
| 5 | Research should be commissioned by the College of Policing in consultation with specialists such as Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) organisations to identify a model for safe exit planning. Specialist advice would also be sought from the MPS Hostage and Crisis Unit, which have expertise in ‘deadline’ management. Such research may improve the assessment of risk within the National Decision Model (NDM). | College of Policing | Metropolitan Police Service |
| IMR.1 | It is recommended that officers are reminded of the necessity to explore, clarify and record information when victims provide positive responses during the DASH risk assessment process | Metropolitan Police Service |
| IMR.2 | It is recommended that officers are reminded of the necessity to complete MERLIN/PAC reports in relation to all cases of Domestic Abuse where there are children within the family | Metropolitan Police Service |
| IMR.3 | It is recommended that the current MPS toolkits include guidance to officers in responding and investigating allegations of threats to kill | Metropolitan Police Service |
| IPCC.1 | The IPCC recommends that a successful contact should, at the minimum, be recorded where an officer has managed to talk to the victim and verify their identity and welfare | Metropolitan Police Service |
| IPCC.2 | The IPCC recommends that part of the training regarding relaying details to police officers attending incidents focuses the quality of this information, particularly where the information has come from a third party – for example stating explicitly how the incident location has ascertained in the remarks section of the CAD and gaining more detail from the informant about critical information if possible | Metropolitan Police Service |
| IPCC.3 | The IPCC recommends that at the bare minimum a list of the cases discussed during these meetings is recorded – ideally with actions and who they are assigned to | Metropolitan Police Service |
| IPCC.4 | It is recommended that the MPS ensures that it has processes in place to consider resourcing of domestic violence units is adequate in light of demand levels and its responsibilities under the Public Sector Equality Duty | Metropolitan Police Service |
| Panel.179 | It is also recommended that the Hackney Borough Police ensure their front-line staff have access to and attend multi-agency training delivered by the City and Hackney Safeguarding Children Board to further promote their understanding of partnership working and the role of other agencies in protecting children and young people from harm (see recommendation 4). | Metropolitan Police Service (Hackney Borough) | City and Hackney Safeguarding Children Board |
| Recommendations extracted from the published report. Source: Home Office DHR Library. View full report ↗ | ||