UK Commission Finds Errors In 999 Response

A calltaker for the Leicestershire (UK) Constabulary mishandled three 999 calls made in 2006 related to a murder, including two silent calls that never received a police dispatch. The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) just issued its report about the murder of Joanne Butler by a neighbor, and said the police response was “wholly inadequate,” and particularly cited how the 999 calls were handled. The first two calls were from Butler’s apartment several hours before she was found dead, but no one was on the line. However, logging tapes revealed the sounds of an argument in the background. The calltaker classified the calls as “silent,” and no police officers were dispatched. Later, two other 999 calls reported Butler had caused damage to a neighbor’s car and that Butler was “psycho” inside her apartment. In the IPCC report, a commissioner criticized the calltaker. “He had the greatest awareness of what was happening and therefore the opportunity to ensure an appropriate response. However, he only made minimal efforts to do so,” the commissioner wrote. Read more about the incident here, and download (pdf) the IPCC report here.