Police Scotland has today (7 September 2021) pled guilty to a charge under the Health and Safety Act admitting that failures in its call-handling system materially contributed to the death of Lamara Bell following a car crash in July 2015. The service has been fined £100,000.
Responding to the charge and fine, Martyn Evans, Chair of the Scottish Police Authority said:
“My sincere sympathy and condolences remain with the families of Lamara Bell and John Yuill following their tragic deaths in 2015.
“The severity and significance of the charges and fine placed on Police Scotland underline the serious failure to respond appropriately to this incident in 2015. The Chief Constable’s detailed acknowledgement of these failings, apology and personal commitment to continue to drive improvement and further reduce the opportunity for such circumstances to ever happen again are frank and heartfelt.
“There is no doubt that the way Police Scotland handles and responds to calls from the public has improved since July 2015. Considerable priority and effort has been made to strengthen Police Scotland’s call handling arrangements. This has been informed by independent assessment and recommendations and through continuing external inspection and enhanced and additional oversight.
“Developments in practice, culture and training now mean all calls from the public are individually assessed with call handlers seeking an understanding of the urgency, need and vulnerability, before identifying the most appropriate response or resolution.
“None of the improvements made since 2015 or underway will bring Ms Bell or Mr Yuill back, but I do hope they go some way to alleviating the families anguish and offering assurance that very significant effort has been made to mitigate a similar incident from ever happening again.
“The Authority has trust and confidence that the Chief Constable and his leadership team will maintain the momentum and seek continuous improvement in this critically important area of service delivery.
“The Authority’s governance and scrutiny will continue to monitor and review performance closely.”
HM Inspector of Constabulary in Scotland (HMICS) has also published a briefing note today (7 September 2021) on call handling in Scotland providing detail on the work which HMICS undertook in respect of call handling in Scotland. The briefing note outlines that Police Scotland has made significant progress in terms of its call handling processes and remains committed to continuous improvement and further investment in technology staff and the estate.
Article initially published 7 September 2021