Four police officers face misconduct meeting after IPCC Pilkington investigation

Four officers at Leicestershire Police will face a misconduct meeting after an investigation by the Independent Police Complaints Commission into the force’s handling of the Fiona Pilkington case.

Mrs Pilkington killed herself and her disabled daughter, Francecca, in 2007 after suffering more than a decade of anti-social behaviour. There were 33 recorded incidents between November 1997 and October 2007 when the family had contact with the police.

The IPCC concluded that Leicestershire Police’s error in not identifying Mrs Pilkington and her children as a vulnerable family “lay at the core of its failure to provide a cohesive and effective approach to the anti-social behaviour the family suffered”.

The IPCC’s 180-page report also found that:

• Police officers had systems in place which, “had they been used properly”, could have shown the true level of harassment the family were subjected to over a number of years
• Incidents were too often dealt with by police officers “in isolation and with an unstructured approach”
• The road where the family lived was not considered by the force to be an anti-social behaviour ‘hotspot’, and was therefore not targeted for a more proactive response
• Police officers should have picked up on Mrs Pilkington’s repeated assertion the situation was “on-going” and that it was her family in particular being targeted
• Officers did not identify a difference in the level of seriousness between general anti-social behaviour and specific harassment of the Pilkington family, and they failed to consider their treatment as hate crime
• Aside from the family’s vulnerability, Fiona was a member of a local community “who was reporting incidents of crime and anti-social behaviour and simply asking police to carry out their responsibilities, which they failed to do”.

The four officers facing misconduct proceedings are an inspector, a sergeant and two police constables. Another constable is receiving management action for unsatisfactory performance.

The IPCC suggested that Leicestershire Police had learnt a number of lessons since the deaths. The force had made some significant changes to how it monitored anti-social behaviour and dealt with vulnerable people, and had improved its management structures, the Commission reported.

IPCC Commissioner Amerdeep Somal said: "Fiona, her mother, her neighbours and MP had all contacted the police to inform them that she had repeated and justifiable concerns about her family’s predicament. Yet, no one person gripped these reports and took charge to strategically manage and oversee what should have been a targeted police response.

“There was nothing in place to ensure the Pilkington family were considered by police as vulnerable or repeat victims, contrary to the force’s own strategy. Systems were in place for officers to have linked the catalogue of incidents but these were not well utilised. Police missed several opportunities to take robust action, inadequately investigated criminal allegations on some occasions and failed to record information on their own intelligence system.”

Somal said she struggled to see what more Mrs Pilkington could have done. “She did all the right things. She informed the police and other agencies involved with her family of the on-going problems. She did as she was told and she even kept a diary and records of the incidents. She was not alone in drawing her family’s plight to police attention. This was on top of raising her two children, each of whom had their specific difficulties which presented further challenges for their mother. Her records portray a sense of resignation that nothing would be done and the youths would just carry on.”

The IPCC Commissioner acknowledged that some action was taken by police and some officers did try to assist the family, but pointed to a failure to co-ordinate their efforts. Somal also highlighted the fact that other organisations had also had contact with the family, adding that their failures had been commented on by the Coroner.

Other findings from the investigation were:

• It was apparent how increasingly difficult it was becoming for Fiona Pilkington to manage Francecca, and how concerned she was about her daughter’s future as an adult
• Warning letters and ‘acceptable behaviour contracts’ were being issued by the local authority and police officers without any co-ordinated system in place to share information
• There was a tendency for incidents to be closed without any record of action having been taken, and without any supervising officer checking matters had been dealt with satisfactorily
• The Pilkington family was never specifically brought to the attention of Leicestershire Police’s Anti-Social Behaviour officer or their dedicated Hate Crime officer
• There was a lack of awareness, both locally and nationally, by police in recognising people with learning disabilities and mental health issues as targets for hate crime
• The force did not incorporate the Home Office guidance Hate Crime: Delivering a Quality Service until October 2007;
• From 2004 onwards there was a lack of supervision and confusion over the line management of principal beat officers in Barwell and Earl Shilton.

Leicestershire Constabulary said it accepted the IPCC’s findings and recommendations.

Chief Constable Simon Cole said: “We acknowledge, as we did following the inquest in 2009, that our actions failed to meet the family’s needs and in retrospect we would have done things differently. We again offer our unreserved apologies for whatever extent the Force’s actions contributed to Fiona’s mindset at the time that she and Francecca died.

“The IPCC acknowledge in their report that we have learnt many lessons from Fiona and Francecca’s tragic deaths and that we continue to make significant changes to the way we deal and respond to these types of incidents.”

Cole added: “The report concludes that even the officer who had the fullest picture of the family could in no way have foreseen the action taken by Fiona.  It also acknowledges that action was taken by police and officers did try to assist the family. The report recognises, as did the Coroner’s inquest in 2009, that in addition to the anti-social behaviour Fiona was suffering, she also had concerns about other areas of her life.”

The chief constable insisted that tackling anti-social behaviour and ensuring people get the support they need was an absolute priority for Leicestershire Constabulary. “Over the past three-and-a-half years we have, and continue to, put measures in place to safeguard the vulnerable and improve the way we deal with this type of behaviour which can have a devastating effect on individuals, families and communities,” he said.

Cole described as “encouraging” statistics showing that the number of anti-social behaviour incidents had dropped by 31% since 2007/08 and satisfaction with the service among victims of anti-social behaviour had increased to 82%. “The commitment to improve our response continues and tackling anti-social behaviour is a major priority for the force with a target set by the Police Authority for us to reduce levels even further,” he said.