Source · IOPC Learning Case

Police response to notify family of woman’s death – South Yorkshire Police, June 2020

South Yorkshire Police Ref: 2021/152203 Recommended 15 Feb 2022 Response due 12 Apr 2022

Welfare and vulnerable people

On 6 June 2020, a woman was found dead in her ex-partner’s home in South Yorkshire. There was a delay of approximately 11 hours before South Yorkshire Police (SYP) notified the woman’s next of kin of her death. The woman’s parents subsequently made a complaint about the delay and the way they were notified of her death. We obtained accounts from the SYP officers and police staff involved in the incident. We also obtained the relevant local and national policies …

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Recommendations

1 total

Recommendation 1

The IOPC recommends that the College of Policing should issue appropriate advice on delivering a death message where the person receiving the message is not in their own home. This should set out a requirement for a dynamic risk assessment to assess their welfare and safety immediately after the message has been given. This follows an IOPC complaint investigation, where the family of a deceased female believed murdered by her ex-partner, visited the scene of her death. Upon arrival they were provided with the death message whilst sat in their motor vehicle, with another family member listening in on the car hands free device. After being informed of the death of their loved one the family were allowed to drive home from the scene without appropriate welfare support and which may had led to the driver of the family vehicle being a danger to himself and to other road users. Do you accept the recommendation? Yes

Addressed to: College of Policing

Linked bodies: College of Policing

Accepted

Force response

Accepted action: The College will, within the next six months, develop relevant advice on delivering a death message, in particular where the person receiving the message is not in their own home. This will include the requirement to assess welfare, health and safety immediately after the message has been delivered to ensure the safety of the recipient and others. The College will also, as part of routine maintenance in the forthcoming Financial Year, review the current e-learning package on delivering a death message and ensure that the need to consider welfare, Health and Safety is included.