Catalogue of police blunders that let Janet, 88, die alone
A DAMNING report has laid bare a catalogue of police blunders during the botched search for a vulnerable grandmother suffering from dementia who died after vanishing from her home.
Janet McKay, 88, was found dead on waste ground in September 2015, eight days after being reported missing from her home in Knightswood, Glasgow.
It later emerged that three days after the pensioner went missing, police were told of a sighting of her boarding a bus heading for nearby Clydebank, where her body was eventually found, which they failed to immediately investigate.
The shocking extent of Police Scotland’s failings in the hunt for Mrs McKay was yesterday brought to light
‘Prevent such failings in the future’
after police watchdogs published the findings of an official investigation into the force’s handling of the case.
The Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (PIRC) report highlighted a total of 17 ‘procedural and investigative shortcomings’ in the search for the grandmother and said that officers had failed to act upon ‘a number of vital investigative leads’.
The scathing report found officers had ‘failed to obtain initial statements from key witnesses’, ‘failed to act promptly in response to a reported sighting’ of Mrs McKay and failed to obtain relevant CCTV footage showing her boarding a bus bound for Clydebank.
It revealed that three days after her disappearance, officers were made aware of a sighting of Mrs McKay boarding a bus.
But despite the pensioner’s tendency to board buses to Clydebank being previously logged on police computers, ‘Police Scotland did not follow up this vital information until six days after the woman went missing’.
An officer then failed to pass on the address of this witness to other officers, causing a further delay in obtaining a statement.
Mrs MacKay’s body was found on waste ground near Rothesay Docks, Clydebank, on September 24 – two days after police acted upon reports of the bus sighting.
Officers also failed to take a statement from Mrs McKay’s carer, who would have been able to describe what she had been wearing the day she disappeared.
They also ‘failed to act promptly’ in response to a reported sighting of her on the day she went missing.
The report also concluded many officers involved in the inquiry were not fully aware of guidance and standard procedures on missing persons.
Commissioner Kate Frame said: ‘This investigation highlighted a number of investigative and procedural shortcomings by Police Scotland in conducting a missing person inquiry for a
‘We hope lessons have been learned’
vulnerable, elderly woman who suffered from dementia.
‘I have made a number of recommendations which I have already shared with the chief constable in light of this case, to enable him to put measures in place and take corrective action to prevent such failings in the future’.
A statement released by Mrs McKay’s family said: ‘We are aware of the findings of the PIRC report and are pleased to note that a number of recommendations have been made.
‘We hope Police Scotland will look carefully at these recommendations and that valuable lessons have been learned.
‘This has been a difficult time for our family. Janet was a loving mother and grandmother and we are thankful for the support we have received.’
Charity Age Scotland last night urged Police Scotland to act swiftly upon the report, saying it was vital to give vulnerable missing people the ‘maximum opportunity’ to be found quickly.
Derek Young, senior policy officer, said: ‘Clearly, Police Scotland must take this seriously and implement the recommendations effectively.
‘All of us in society can also take responsibility, if we see an older person who looks lost, to report this and help out if we can.
‘We also need to know that police officers understand standard operating procedures for missing people and that relevant information shared will be recorded and acted upon speedily.
‘We must maximise the opportunity for missing people, especially those most at risk, to be found and returned to safety as quickly as possible’.
Police Scotland last night issued an apology to Mrs McKay’s family and promised to improve the way it handles missing person cases.’
Assistant Chief Constable Mark Williams said: ‘I apologise on behalf of Police Scotland and once again offer my heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Mrs Janet McKay.
‘I fully accept the findings from the review by PIRC and Police Scotland will continue to work with them to ensure all lessons identified are addressed and built into our missing person investigations’.
The commissioner recommended police should consider setting up a major incident room overseen by a senior officer during vulnerable missing person investigations and ensure all officers are aware of the correct procedures.