Families call for real change as force put into special measures
THE families of 19-year-olds Barnaby Webber and Grace O’Malley-Kumar, who were stabbed to death in Nottingham, have welcomed the placing of Nottinghamshire Police into an “enhanced level of monitoring” by the chief inspector of constabulary.
The University of Nottingham students were fatally stabbed in Ilkeston Road in the city at around 4am on June 13 by Valdo Calocane, right.
He was later made subject of an indefinite hospital order by a judge after pleading guilty to the manslaughter of Barnaby, from Taunton, Grace and school caretaker Ian Coates by reason of diminished responsibility.
In a statement, the Webber and O’Malley-Kumar families said: “As families we have been very clear in the concerns we have raised regarding Nottinghamshire Police. Not only in the investigation itself, but also in the failures, missed opportunities, lessons and poor communication before, during and after.
“The IOPC are carrying out investigations into Nottinghamshire and
Leicestershire constabularies and we have our first meeting with them on March 26. During this meeting we intend to provide thorough detail and evidence to back up all of our concerns.”
The statement continued: “Our criticisms are aimed at the leadership of both forces and also the management and failures of the senior investigating officer in the Nottinghamshire force in charge of our own case.
“We welcome the news today that the HMICFRS [His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire &
Rescue Services] recognise that Nottinghamshire Police require intervention and urgent improvement and that they have effectively been placed into ‘special measures’.
“We hope this gives the residents of Nottingham more reassurance in their public safety.
“In her response to today’s report Chief Constable Kate Meynell has advised, ‘victims of crime are at the heart of everything that we do’. Given the misinformation, mistruths and failures that we as devastated families have had to contend with from this police force, we could not more strongly disagree with her.
“We have to be optimistic that proper investigations will be carried out and result in more than ‘lessons learned and apologies’; we want real change to happen. And that must, without doubt, include individual and organisational ownership and responsibility.”
HMICFRS announced the move yesterday, saying the force “needs to improve how it manages and carries out effective investigations, and make sure that victims get the support they need”.
It added that the force “doesn’t have adequate processes, planning or governance arrangements in place to monitor performance effectively or identify areas where improvement is required”.
When asked whether the move was as a result of concerns raised about the force’s handling of the Nottingham attacks, an HMICFRS spokeswoman said: “This decision is not related to the force’s handling of the Valdo Calocane case,” adding: “We did not look at the specific circumstances of this case.”
The reasons behind the decision will be detailed in an inspection report due to be published later this year.
Ms Meynell said she recognised the “serious nature” of the watchdog’s findings, adding: “I have taken urgent action to address the immediate concerns raised and have ensured that all of the initial recommendations that relate to our investigations and support for victims have been completed.”
“Victims of crime are at the heart of everything that we do”, Ms Meynell said, adding that cases identified by HMICFRS had been reviewed to make sure “victims of crime are receiving regular updates and that these are being correctly recorded”.