London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Aug 02, 2026

Owami Davies: Police watchdog drops case now she is safe

Owami Davies: Police watchdog drops case now she is safe

The police watchdog will take no further action over the Owami Davies case after she was found safe and well following her disappearance.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) had received a mandatory "death or serious injury" (DSI) referral from the Met Police.

It was made during the search for the 24-year-old's whereabouts and when it emerged Met officers had spoken with her the day she was reported missing.

However, the referral is now "invalid".

Student nurse Ms Davies left her family's home in Grays, Essex, on 4 July and was reported missing by relatives on 6 July, the day Met officers spoke to her in London.

Ms Davies had not yet been marked as a missing person on the police database, the Met said, with the force adding it had only later established the woman it had spoken to was Ms Davies as a result of their missing person investigation.

She was then last seen on CCTV footage in Derby Road in south London, near to West Croydon rail station, on 7 July at 00:03 BST, with police making public appeals to find her for the next seven weeks until she was found on Tuesday.

The IOPC said the DSI referral had been filed on 5 August, after the Met announced arrests had been made on suspicion of her murder.

An IOPC spokesperson said: "Given that Owami Davies has now been found safe, and we have not received information from the force that Ms Davies has suffered any serious injuries, the referral not does not meet the criteria for a DSI referral.

"We have advised the Met that it is invalid and therefore we will be taking no further action."


'Open and transparent'


Mandatory referrals are made whenever police contact with someone who is later killed or seriously injured may have directly or indirectly contributed to harm.

Met Police Cdr Paul Brogden said concerns around the full investigation would still be reviewed by the London and Essex police forces.

"Whilst this matter does not meet the criteria for an investigation by the IOPC, and this matter is not subject to any inquiry by our Directorate of Professional Standards, we know there have been concerns raised around the search for Owami," he said.

"Therefore we, alongside our colleagues in Essex Police, will be carrying out a review of all our actions from when Owami was first reported missing.

"We will carry out the review in an open and transparent manner to ensure we have acted correctly and to identify any ways to improve our response to finding other missing people."

Officers were said to be "ecstatic" to report Ms Davies had been found "safe and well" in Hampshire on Tuesday.


'Forever grateful'


A Twitter account linked to Ms Davies's family said they were "forever grateful".

"We the Davies family would like to express our deepest gratitude to every one of you, wherever you are, whoever you are.

"Thank you for all your well wishes, love hugs & thoughts. Together we searched far & beyond. We are forever grateful," one post said.

Despite the arrests of five people and numerous appeals for information, officers were struggling to locate Ms Davies as they trawled through 117 reported sightings.

The 118th report, made in response to a media appeal by a member of the public, at 10:30 BST on Tuesday was the one which led to her being found.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Finland Deploys Commercial-Scale Thermal Batteries Using Crushed Rock to Store Renewable Grid Energy
Valued at $109 Million: F-35B Fighter Jet Crashes in Southern California
Sainsbury Agrees to Sell Argos in £120 Million Deal to Private Consortium
High Court Clears Way for Construction of Chinese Embassy at Royal Mint Court
UK Fuel Prices Climb to Multi-Month Highs as Strait of Hormuz Tensions Disrupt Oil Supplies
Severe Summer Drought and Record Heat Put UK Harvests at Risk
Prime Minister Andy Burnham Faces Labour Backbench Opposition Over Potential Support for New North Sea Oil and Gas Drilling
Bank of England Warns Inflation Will Stay Above 3% as Middle East Energy Shock Prolongs Cost-of-Living Pressures
Andy Burnham has Announces Plans to Redistribute Income Tax Revenue to English Mayors
Early-Release Scheme Faces Fresh Scrutiny as Reoffending and Prison Recalls Rise
Police Phone Checks Followed Report on Murder of MI5 Agent Inside Sinn Féin
Archbishop of Canterbury Reaffirms £100 Million Reparative Justice Fund During Ghana Visit
Charities Allege French Police Used Tear Gas Against Channel Migrants
Norwegian Teenager Convicted Over Iran-Linked Murder Plot in Britain
Christian Organisations File Charity Complaints Against Amnesty International UK
Ofgem Tightens Grid Connection Rules for New Data Centres
FTSE 100 Reaches Record High Despite Global Technology Sell-Off
Millions of UK Households Urged to Check Eligibility for Winter Energy Discount
Labour Restores Parliamentary Whips to Diane Abbott and Joani Reid
UK Supreme Court to Hear Challenge Over Palestine Action Ban
UK Commits More Than £8.4 Billion to Dreadnought Nuclear Submarine Programme
England Declares Severe Drought as Wildfire Burns Near Sizewell Nuclear Site
Bank of England Holds Interest Rates at 3.75% as Middle East Tensions Fuel Inflation Risks
Drought Status Extended Across All of Wales as Heat and Dry Weather Deepen Environmental Strain
Record-Low Danube Exposes Probable Mammoth Remains in Bulgaria
UK Business Confidence Climbs to Four-Month High
Greater Manchester Gains Expanded Powers Under Regional Funding Reforms
UK Supreme Court to Hear Appeal Over Palestine Action Terror Ban
Shell's Quarterly Profit Doubles to Nearly $10 Billion on Higher Energy Prices
UK Government Removes VAT From Household Electricity Bills
Exceptional Drought Grips Half of England as Wildfire Threatens Sizewell
Bank of England Holds Interest Rates at 3.75% as Inflation Risks Persist
US Says It Has Carried Out Heavy Strikes on Iran After Attempted Attacks on Its Forces
The chief executive of the popular gaming company laid off many employees and his pay rose to 38 million dollars
UK Employment Holds Steady as Wage Growth Remains Moderate
England to Introduce Artificial Intelligence into Secondary School Curriculum
Wales Launches £1.2 Billion Industrial Regeneration Programme
High Court Upholds UK Digital Surveillance Framework
Northern Ireland Reaches Budget Agreement on Infrastructure and Public Sector Pay
Home Office Expands Digital Border Checks Nationwide
UK Approves Major North Sea Wind and Carbon Capture Project
The World's Most Terrifying Smartphone: Recording, Documenting, and Reporting to the Regime
Scotland Approves Major Renewable Energy Expansion
UK and United States Sign AI and Semiconductor Cooperation Pact
UK Treasury Tightens Fiscal Controls After Gilt Market Volatility
Bank of England Holds Interest Rates at 4.5%
UK Unveils £10 Billion NHS Funding Overhaul and Workforce Reform
The AI User Nightmare: Private Claude Conversations Leaked to the Internet
UK: Former Football Association Leaders Call for World Cup Boycott Over FIFA Privatization Plan
Forbidden Love: China severs millions from their virtual partners
×