‘Death of woman could have been prevented by police action’

● Vulnerable woman found with fatal injuries nearly 90 minutes after 999 call

ELIZABETH BOWE’S FAMILY may have arrived at her home prior to her receiving the injuries from which she died and thereby prevented her death.”

In a statement released via the Pirc, Ms Bowe’s family said: “The circumstances of the death of Elizabeth, who was a caring mother and grandmother, was a shock to us all and we appreciate the support we have received, but would now wish our privacy to be respected.

“The Pirc report has made a number of recommendations on how Police Scotland should deal with calls from vulnerable people. We hope these will be taken forward so that changes are made to avoid something similar happening again.”

The watchdog investigation found Ms Bowe had called police using her brother’s mobile phone at about 8pm on 17 September to report he had stolen her mobile.

She told the call handler she was a vulnerable person, who was in a “domestic violence situation” and required her telephone to “call for help” if she needed it.

Staff told Ms Bowe that police officers would attend and categorised the call as a Grade 2 priority – a call requiring an urgent police response within 15 minutes.

However after being transferred to the area control room at Bilston Glen in Midlothian, it was decided no crime had been committed and there was no need to despatch officers.

The Pirc’s report found that at 8.12pm the controller then attempted to contact Ms Bowe via her brother’s mobile phone and left a voicemail stating police would not be attending and that 999 should only be used for emergencies.

Almost an hour and a half later, Gordon called 999 to report that he had killed his sister and officers were immediately sent to the address.

On arrival, they discovered Ms Bowe with serious injuries.