Source · IOPC Learning Case

Handling of missing person’s report - West Yorkshire Police, November

West Yorkshire Police Ref: 2016/075636 Recommended 22 Dec 2017 Response due 16 Feb 2018

Welfare and vulnerable people

In the early hours of 5 November 2016 a man reported to West Yorkshire Police (WYP) that his daughter was missing from their home address in Leeds. The man had last seen his daughter at 6.45pm the previous day at their home shortly before he went out. When he returned she was not there. The young woman had a history of mental health issues and had previously been admitted to a mental health centre. The man checked his daughter’s whereabouts …

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Recommendations

1 total

Recommendation 1

West Yorkshire Police (WYP) should develop and implement a process whereby when a notification/request for retirement or resignation is received by Human Resources, liaison with WYP Professional Standards Department takes place to establish whether the officer of staff member is under investigation by either WYP or the IOPC. Timely liaison and decisions about the appropriate course of action should then be made by the relevant people, before the resignation/retirement is accepted by HR. Do you accept the recommendation? Yes

Addressed to: West Yorkshire Police

Linked bodies: West Yorkshire Police

Accepted

Force response

Accepted action: I am writing in response to your letter dated 17 January 2018 and in particular that West Yorkshire Police Human Resources Department needs to be involved in the process when officers' subject of an independent investigation retire or resign from the Force. Contact has been made with the Head of Operational Human Resources who has confirmed that all HR Managers across the Force area have been made aware that in future a notification is required to be sent to Professional Standards when an officer submits a request to either resign or retire from the Force. This will then allow necessary checks to be undertaken to determine if the officer is subject of any investigation, including a DSI independent. In addition, the Force Policy toolkit (checklist) for officers wishing to resign or retire is to be updated to reflect that there is a requirement to send a notification to Professional Standards. I trust this now addresses the point raised within your letter dated 17 January 2018.