Police failings lef t man dead for two days
‘Carefully consider the findings’
A SERIES of blunders was exposed yesterday as it emerged police found a man dead two days after being alerted.
David Penman, 46, was discovered in his work’s van, which was parked in a lay-by on a quiet country road.
It took three separate calls to a control room before officers attended and found his body slumped in the driver’s seat. He had died from carbon monoxide poisoning.
The Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (PIRC) said there were clear inconsistencies in how the force’s Area Control Room (ACR) at Bilston Glen, Midlothian dealt with the reports and said lessons must be learned.
In a statement issued via PIRC, Mr Penman’s family said it had been diffi- cult to come to terms with the death of the ‘loving father, son and brother’.
They said: ‘We will never know for sure whether David would still be alive if more prompt action had been taken initially, but we are pleased to note the recommendations in the report.’
PIRC commissioner Kate Frame said it could not be determined whether Mr Penman, who had suffered bouts of depression, would have lived if police had acted sooner. There were no suspicious circumstances.
She has sent her recommendations to the Chief Constable.
The Bilston Glen centre was criticised following the deaths of John Yuill and Lamara Bell in July 2015. The couple lay undiscovered for days after a crash on the M9 near Stirling, despite a sighting being reported to the control room. The watchdog probe reveals that Mr Penman’s van was spotted in Dunipace, near Falkirk, on Tuesday December 13 last year.
A local resident raised concerns the vehicle may have been stolen. A computer check by ACR staff found that the vehicle was not stolen, was taxed and insured and was owned by a Stirling firm. A police officer closed the incident.
Similar fears were reported the next day but were dealt with by the same officer and no further action was taken. A third call was made at about 7am on Thursday December 15 about a lorry in the area. Officers, who were sent to the scene at about 11am, were unable to find the vehicle but came across Mr Penman’s van 50 minutes later.
PIRC found ‘clear anomalies’ in how the control room dealt with the three reports.
It recommends that Police Scotland adopts a ‘flexible and practical’ approach to reports of abandoned or suspicious vehicles and examines all of the circumstances before deciding whether or not to carry out further enquiries.
Police Scotland Assistant Chief Constable Nelson Telfer said the force had received more than 16,000 reports of abandoned vehicles so far this year. He said ‘updated guidance’ on the issue had been issued to call handlers and Area Control Room staff.
A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘Police Scotland have made clear they will carefully consider the findings, taking further action where necessary.’