Police Oversight in Nottingham Murder Cases Linked to Inadequate Assault Investigation
Report reveals failures by Leicestershire Police to probe assaults by Valdo Calocane, enabling a subsequent murder spree.
A recent report from the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has revealed significant shortcomings in the investigation conducted by Leicestershire Police into prior assaults by Valdo Calocane, who went on to commit a triple homicide in Nottingham a month later.
The IOPC's findings indicate that adequate actions by police could have potentially prevented the murders of Barnaby Webber, Grace O’Malley-Kumar, and Ian Coates.
On May 5, 2023, Calocane was reported for physically assaulting two warehouse workers in Kegworth.
However, the responding officer, referred to as Officer A, failed to conduct essential checks on Calocane through the police national computer (PNC).
Such a check would have revealed an outstanding arrest warrant as well as previous incidents of violence and mental health issues, according to the report.
The IOPC documented that Officer A, who had only been on the job for 12 days, lacked awareness of her responsibilities regarding PNC checks.
The report noted that she stated she would have prioritized Calocane's arrest had she conducted these checks.
Additionally, Officer A used Google Translate to communicate with the alleged victims, unaware that telephone interpreters were available.
CCTV evidence of the assaults was not preserved, resulting in it being deleted from police systems.
The investigation further highlighted that Officer B, Officer A's tutor, acknowledged a backlog of cases he had prioritized and accepted responsibility for failing to ensure proper checks were conducted.
Sergeant C, the supervising officer, conceded that his review of the incident was below expected standards due to being overworked.
Despite these identified failures, the IOPC concluded that no actionable lessons could be drawn from the incident.
The families of the murder victims expressed their dissatisfaction with both the IOPC and Leicestershire Police.
They described feeling excluded from the misconduct proceedings and criticized the quality of the IOPC report.
They expressed their concerns regarding restrictions placed on their ability to participate in the hearings.
The IOPC report indicated that a significant number of violent incidents attributed to Calocane were present in the PNC at the time of the assault on the warehouse employees, including previous assaults and mental health detentions.
The oversight of these critical data points has raised questions about police efficacy in preventing further violence.
In the report, Officer A reflected on her inexperience, acknowledging that she failed to conduct necessary follow-ups with the victims and obtain evidentiary material.
She described her actions not as negligent but rather due to being unfamiliar with the protocols required in such investigations.
Witness statements also indicated a belief that Calocane posed a potential threat during the initial assault investigation, but this intelligence was not adequately acted upon.
The IOPC indicated its intention to publish its investigation report once proceedings related to the officers involved are concluded.
The IOPC's findings indicate that adequate actions by police could have potentially prevented the murders of Barnaby Webber, Grace O’Malley-Kumar, and Ian Coates.
On May 5, 2023, Calocane was reported for physically assaulting two warehouse workers in Kegworth.
However, the responding officer, referred to as Officer A, failed to conduct essential checks on Calocane through the police national computer (PNC).
Such a check would have revealed an outstanding arrest warrant as well as previous incidents of violence and mental health issues, according to the report.
The IOPC documented that Officer A, who had only been on the job for 12 days, lacked awareness of her responsibilities regarding PNC checks.
The report noted that she stated she would have prioritized Calocane's arrest had she conducted these checks.
Additionally, Officer A used Google Translate to communicate with the alleged victims, unaware that telephone interpreters were available.
CCTV evidence of the assaults was not preserved, resulting in it being deleted from police systems.
The investigation further highlighted that Officer B, Officer A's tutor, acknowledged a backlog of cases he had prioritized and accepted responsibility for failing to ensure proper checks were conducted.
Sergeant C, the supervising officer, conceded that his review of the incident was below expected standards due to being overworked.
Despite these identified failures, the IOPC concluded that no actionable lessons could be drawn from the incident.
The families of the murder victims expressed their dissatisfaction with both the IOPC and Leicestershire Police.
They described feeling excluded from the misconduct proceedings and criticized the quality of the IOPC report.
They expressed their concerns regarding restrictions placed on their ability to participate in the hearings.
The IOPC report indicated that a significant number of violent incidents attributed to Calocane were present in the PNC at the time of the assault on the warehouse employees, including previous assaults and mental health detentions.
The oversight of these critical data points has raised questions about police efficacy in preventing further violence.
In the report, Officer A reflected on her inexperience, acknowledging that she failed to conduct necessary follow-ups with the victims and obtain evidentiary material.
She described her actions not as negligent but rather due to being unfamiliar with the protocols required in such investigations.
Witness statements also indicated a belief that Calocane posed a potential threat during the initial assault investigation, but this intelligence was not adequately acted upon.
The IOPC indicated its intention to publish its investigation report once proceedings related to the officers involved are concluded.
