Police response to a domestic incident - Essex Police, September 2020
Recommendation date: 29 September 2020
Response due: 24 November 2020
Published: 4 November 2020
Domestic abuse
Welfare and vulnerable people
Essex Police received a series of abandoned 999 from a woman who was noted as a high-risk victim of domestic abuse. The call handler identified the likely location and officers were dispatched to the caller’s partner’s address in Westcliff-on-Sea. Following their arrival at the address, the attending officers separated the caller and her partner and asked them questions to establish what had happened. The caller did not make any allegations against her partner and declined the officers’ offers to take her away from the property. The caller’s partner alleged that she had assaulted him, but the officers left the address without making an arrest. Shortly after the officers left, the woman again called 999 stating that she had been stabbed by her partner. The same officers returned to the scene and arrested her partner. Both parties were treated for injuries which were not life threatening or life changing. Subsequent checks …
Recommendations (2)
Recommendation 1
Accepted
Recommendation
The IOPC recommends that Essex Police should review the quality and effectiveness of its initial and refresher domestic abuse training for frontline officers with specific reference to: In this case, the attending officers requested no Police National Computer or other … Read more
Force Response
Accepted action: We accept the recommendation in full. This recommendation has been presented to the Force’s ‘Learning the Lessons’ board chaired by the Deputy Chief Constable. In order to ensure oversight, this entire recommendation has been formally allocated to the … Read more
Recommendation 2
Accepted
Recommendation
The IOPC recommends that Essex Police consider formalising its process for dealing with abandoned 999 calls, with any new or amended policy or procedure dealing with abandoned 999 calls to include: a) clear direction about who has responsibility for updating … Read more
Force Response
Recommendation accepted: This recommendation is accepted in full. Essex Police will now review whether this guidance can be incorporated into an existing policy (which will then require amendment) or if a new policy will need to be devised. Once this … Read more