Costessey deaths – Chief Constable statement

Norfolk’s Chief Constable Paul Sanford has said the constabulary will be open and transparent as the force is investigated in relation to the tragic events in Costessey on Friday (19 January).

Four people, a man, woman and two children, were found dead at a property in Allan Bedford Crescent. The bodies were discovered after police were called by a member of the public concerned for the welfare of those inside. Police arrived on scene at around 7.15am and forced entry to the address.

Prior to this, it has since been established that a 999 call was made to police from the man inside the address just before 6am and officers were not deployed.

The force has referred itself to the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) in relation to the earlier 999 call and previous contact at the address on 14 December which was in relation to a missing person enquiry.

Mr Sanford said: “This is a tragic and horrific incident and my thoughts, and that of the entire constabulary, remain with the family of those involved.

“I’m aware this incident has also caused great upset and shock in Costessey, the wider community and beyond.

“Following the identification of the earlier 999 call, the constabulary referred itself to the IOPC who will now investigate. It is because of this process that I choose my words carefully; not because I don’t want to be open and honest, but because I have a duty to protect the integrity of any investigation that needs to follow. 

“It will be for this investigation to identify and consider the circumstances and to consider if there were any issues with the response.

“I know the family and the public will rightly want to know whether there was an ability to prevent this tragedy, and this is a question that must be answered.

“However, at this stage, I cannot answer that question. What I can say is that we will be open and honest in the days, weeks, and months ahead, to get the answers to this question.

“There will, of course, also be an inquest that will review the wider circumstances surrounding the deaths and the involvement of the police and other agencies.

"We have thousands of interactions with the public every single day, on the phone and in person. It’s only right that when there are questions about our response, they are properly investigated, and I fully support and welcome this scrutiny.

“I will not wait for the outcome of this investigation to review our working practices and that process has started.

“Furthermore, the constabulary is currently undergoing a routine inspection by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services.  That inspection includes an assessment of our response to 999 calls. 

“Today, I have asked the Inspectorate to consider undertaking a deeper review than the robust inspection already planned, to provide the reassurance that the public and I need in our response to emergency calls.”