Recommendations - West Yorkshire Police, May 2025
Recommendations
5 totalThe IOPC recommends that West Yorkshire Police (WYP) should ensure all staff within the force control room receive in-person training on Right Care Right Person (RCRP). This should include roll-out of training to current and future control room staff. This recommendation follows findings from two separate incidents that highlight concerns regarding the understanding and application of RCRP within WYP. The first incident relates to an independent investigation into three welfare-related calls made to WYP concerning a member of the public, who was later found deceased. During the investigation, staff and officers in the Force Control Room reported they had not received any training on RCRP. This led to confusion about when and how the process should be applied - particularly in cases involving information from other forces - resulting in potential missed opportunities to assess and manage risk. The second case, a Death or Serious Injury review, involved similar issues where a mother called WYP due to her son reporting he intended to end his life. Initially officers were instructed to deploy however this was later downgraded as it was deemed the ambulance should attend. Although it appears in-line with RCRP, the RCRP script or toolkit was not used. Once the police were informed the ambulance were not attending, no further assessment was made. Unfortunately, the man was later found deceased. There was confusion in the control room around the application of RCRP and our review found that a control room supervisor had only completed RCRP training via e-learning, which was undertaken during a shift. As a result of these incidents, we recommend that WYP implement in-person training for all relevant staff involved in the application of RCRP. This will help ensure a consistent understanding, reduce the risk of misapplication, and ultimately support better outcomes in public safety and risk management.
Accepted Accepted, however these recommendations have already been implemented. In May 2023, WYP first training was targeted towards phases 1&2, and the contact centre regarding RCRP, developing a dedicated digital learning module. The RCRP I-Learn package was specifically designed for contact staff, providing a structured and interactive learning experience to prepare them for the upcoming implementation. This module simulated real-life call scenarios and guided learners through the legal and procedural considerations central to RCRP. Its creation marked the beginning of a comprehensive training strategy aimed at embedding RCRP principles across the organisation, with a direct focus on our contact staff, as key decision makers in RCRP. Building on this, June 2023 saw the launch of in-person supervisor training across all contact teams. This training was delivered to ensure that supervisory staff were not only familiar with the RCRP framework, but also confident in supporting their teams through the transition. The sessions focused on the legal underpinnings of RCRP, decision-making responsibilities, and the importance of consistent application across all shifts. Simultaneously, a new training pathway was introduced for new starters within the contact function. From June onwards, every new cohort of contact staff received dedicated RCRP training as part of their initial induction course. This ensured that all incoming personnel were equipped with the knowledge and tools to apply RCRP principles from the outset of their roles. This approach remains in place, forming a core component of the on-boarding process and reinforcing a consistent understanding of RCRP across the workforce. As part of the implementation of the RCRP framework within West Yorkshire Police’s contact function, a peer-to-peer support model was established to reinforce consistent and legally compliant decision-making. This initiative evolved from the initial cohort of trained RCRP Floorwalkers, who were identified as credible and engaged practitioners. These individuals formed a peer-support group, meeting regularly under the guidance of the Operational Policing Improvement Team (OPIT) to discuss live incidents and share best practices. Recognising the absence of dedicated training days within the contact rota, the group was tasked with delivering face-to-face RCRP training to their respective teams, ensuring full coverage across the department. To further embed RCRP principles, peer-support members were strategically deployed during peak demand periods - particularly Friday afternoons - to review incoming logs and support frontline staff in applying the RCRP toolkit. This deployment was endorsed by the Contact Senior Leadership Team and aimed to address cultural challenges such as the ‘Log and Send’ approach, which often bypassed initial decision-making responsibilities, which was found to be the existing culture despite RCRP principles being effectively in-place since 2019. The peer-support model has proven instrumental in creating a safe learning environment, and maintaining the momentum of culture-change within contact. In February 2025, a training presentation was prepared, to advise contact staff around the escalation process, that had been re-worked to reflect RCRP. This was published, alongside an S.O.P to advise when, and how to formally escalate an incident to partners. This was followed by contact SLT communications, and dip sampling from May 2025 to ensure that if incidents were being referred back to WYP, from the public or another agency, supervisors were able to engage partners in a professional discussion. Amendments to the RCRP Toolkit directly supported operators and recognised and prioritised potential ‘gaps’ between agencies.
The IOPC recommends that West Yorkshire Police (WYP) should review and update the Welfare Check Deployment Policy to ensure it is consistent with Right Care Right Person (RCRP) terminology. This recommendation follows findings from two separate incidents that highlight concerns regarding the understanding and application of RCRP within WYP. The first incident relates to an independent investigation into three welfare-related calls made to WYP concerning a member of the public, who was later found deceased. During the investigation, staff and officers in the Force Control Room reported they had not received any training on RCRP and were relying on their understanding of the Welfare Check Deployment Procedure, which encapsulates how to address welfare concerns . This led to confusion about when and how the RCRP process should be applied and documented on the incident log. The second case, a Death or Serious Injury review, involved similar issues where a mother called WYP due to her son reporting he intended to end his life. Initially officers were instructed to deploy however this was later downgraded as it was deemed the ambulance should attend. Although it appears in-line with RCRP, the RCRP script or toolkit was not used. Once the police were informed the ambulance were not attending, no further assessment was made. Unfortunately, the man was later found deceased. There was confusion in the control room around the application of RCRP and our review found that a control room supervisor had only completed RCRP training via e-learning, which was undertaken during a shift and did not clearly state how the Welfare Check Deployment Procedure interlinked. As a result of these incidents, we recommend that WYP ensure that all control room staff are aware of how the Welfare Check Deployment Procedure and RCRP interlink to ensure a consistent understanding, reduce the risk of misapplication, and ultimately support better outcomes in public safety and risk management.
Accepted Accepted, however this recommendation has already been implemented. WYP has taken proactive steps to align its policies with the principles of the RCRP framework. In September 2024, WYP updated its existing Concern for Welfare Policy to explicitly reference RCRP terminology and guidance. This revision also included an expansion of the existing escalation process, ensuring a more structured and consistent approach to welfare checks. A further review of the policy is due in October 2026, however the policy will be updated in line with operational learning, changes to national guidance and shared learning from partners/other forces.
The IOPC recommends that West Yorkshire Police (WYP) should clarify to all control room staff how the Welfare Check Deployment Policy supports the Right Care Right Person (RCRP) toolkit and training material. This recommendation follows findings from two separate incidents that highlight concerns regarding the understanding and application of RCRP within WYP. The first incident relates to an independent investigation regarding WYP receiving three calls reporting a welfare concern for a member of the public. These reported concerns were made to WYP prior to the member of the public sadly being found deceased. The WYP members of staff and officers explained during the investigation that they did not receive training on how to consider the Welfare Check Deployment Procedure when applying RCRP. The second case, a Death or Serious Injury review, involved similar issues where a mother called WYP due to her son reporting he intended to end his life. Initially officers were instructed to deploy however this was later downgraded as it was deemed the ambulance should attend. Although it appears in-line with RCRP, the RCRP script or toolkit was not used. Once the police were informed the ambulance were not attending, no further assessment was made. Unfortunately, the man was later found deceased. There was confusion in the control room around the application of RCRP and our review found that a control room supervisor had only completed RCRP training via e-learning, which was undertaken during a shift and did not clearly state how the Welfare Check Deployment Procedure interlinked.
Not accepted This has been communicated as part of the training and development discussed above and the Welfare Check Deployment Policy has since been updated/replaced with the “Concern for Welfare” policy to align with RCRP.
The IOPC recommends that West Yorkshire Police (WYP) should update its RCRP toolkit and training to include the following: This recommendation follows findings from two separate incidents that highlight concerns regarding the understanding and application of RCRP within WYP. The first incident relates to an independent investigation where three calls regarding a welfare concern for a member of the public were reported to WYP. These reported concerns were made to WYP prior to the member of the public sadly being found deceased. Although the outcome may not have changed, the investigation found gaps within the WYP RCRP toolkit and training. Even if a call refers to a previous incident, a further THRIVE risk assessment should be conducted to ensure that all risks are adequately understood, including when another agency has already been determined the most suitable to attend. Additionally, the ambulance response time should factor in a risk assessment when multiple calls have been made about the same incident. The second case, a Death or Serious Injury review, involved similar issues where a mother called WYP due to her son reporting he intended to end his life. Initially officers were instructed to deploy however this was later downgraded as it was deemed the ambulance should attend. Although it appears in-line with RCRP, the RCRP script or toolkit was not used. Once the police were informed the ambulance were not attending, no further assessment was made. Unfortunately, the man was later found deceased. There was confusion in the control room around the application of RCRP and our review found that a control room supervisor had only completed RCRP training via e-learning, which was undertaken during a shift and did not clearly state how the Welfare Check Deployment Procedure interlinked.
Accepted Accepted, however these recommendations have already been implemented. To minimise the potential for a member of the public being passed between WYP and partner agencies, amendments were made to cater for ‘Good Samaritan’ calls who may encounter a barrier on being signposted to another agency: THRIVE is a well-established Tool with WYP, reflecting national uptake. There are several occasions when THRIVE would be used, as seen in WYP’s current guidance, which reflects national practice. Alongside this, there are other occasions when a THRIVE will be required: To summarise, the enhancement of the RCRP Toolkit, and the normal application of THRIVE allows maximal opportunities for new information, intelligence to be placed on a log and subject of THRIVE or Re-THRIVE accordingly. Whilst ambulance attendance times are relevant to a risk assessment under THRIVE, there needs to be consideration of whether it is proportionate and necessary to deploy a police resource ahead of a health-based response which has made an assessment on the circumstances. There may be a shared/joint duty which needs to be clearly understood and communicated. This is outlined in the “RCRP Support Procedure” now written into the updated Force “Concern for Welfare” policy. This states: Any real, immediate, present and continuing risk to life or serious injury (Article 2/3 risks) creates a shared duty of care for statutory partners. WYP must recognise any shared duty of care, and that any partners failing to discharge this duty of care does not remove an obligation from other partners. And also states: In the event of a disagreement between the requesting agency and police in terms of the immediacy of any risk to life or the identified policing objective that has necessitated the request being made, the matter must be subject of the escalation procedure to clarify whether police resources are deployed.
The IOPC recommends that West Yorkshire Police (WYP) should review their incident transfer process with external forces that use the same computer system, to ensure that all relevant information regarding risk is received and reviewed before a deployment decision is made. This recommendation follows an IOPC independent investigation where three calls regarding a welfare concern for a member of the public were reported to WYP. Two were made by two different forces and one by a member of the public. These reported concerns were made to WYP prior to the member of the public sadly being found deceased. One force recorded additional information on a STORM log which was not received or reviewed by WYP. Although, it is not clear if this further information would have changed the decision to deploy, a review of further intelligence is paramount for call handlers in their decision making.
Accepted Accepted and being progressed. While there is no formal standalone training module for log transfers, knowledge is reinforced through buddying and operational experience, with an emphasis on ensuring risk-critical information is not omitted during transfers.