Recommendation 1
The IOPC recommends that Cheshire Constabulary should ensure that the procedures for call handlers to escalate incidents are set out clearly in force policy.
This follows an IOPC review of a Serious Injury investigation, where a man took an overdose following several calls to the police expressing concern for his welfare, over a number of hours.
A local investigation by the force concluded that more could have been done to try to obtain assistance from beyond the Local Policing Unit covering the man’s address and that the closing of the second incident log without reviewing the threat assessment and call grading may have delayed the police response.
Cheshire Constabulary advised the IOPC that there was a procedure for resourcing incidents that have exceeded the target response time, by escalating them to supervisors for consideration of requesting support from officers from a nearby Local Policing Unit. This had been communicated to staff by email in the past but was not documented in any force policy or guidance. The force has also advised that a new response model has been launched and its grading and deployment policy is due for review.
Addressed to: Cheshire Constabulary
Linked bodies:
Cheshire Constabulary