The police failed a 12-year-old boy who was killed when a schizophrenic with paranoid delusions drove into a group of schoolchildren, according to the police commissioner.
On 2 December 2019, Harley Watson was struck outside Debden Park High School in Loughton, Essex.
Last year, 52-year-old Terence Glover was detained indefinitely under the Mental Health Act.
Roger Hirst, the Essex police, fire, and crime commissioner, stated that “much more could and should have been done.”
An inquest determined on Thursday that Harley was unlawfully killed.
The jury concluded that failures on the part of Essex Police and mental health services “possibly” contributed to his death.
The nine-day inquest in Chelmsford revealed that Glover repeatedly dialed 999 in the months preceding the crash, stating that he “might run over some schoolchildren.”
The inquest heard that he was arrested in September 2019 on suspicion of making malicious communications, but after a mental health evaluation that lasted less than three minutes, he was not detained.
According to the jury, Glover was not properly evaluated, and an opportunity to prevent Harley’s death was lost.
The jury concluded that police did not devote sufficient resources to the investigation, that they did not communicate concerns about Glover across departments, and that Glover’s release from custody was a “failure.
Collectively disappointed
Mr. Hirst said: “From the evidence presented throughout the inquest and the narrative conclusion of the jury, it is evident that more could and should have been done before the incident.
“In the emergency services, we work hard to protect people and improve their lives, but in this instance, we let Harley down.
Sincerely sorry about that.
Mr. Hirst reported that the chief of police “assured” him that “significant improvements have already been implemented.”
“Improving how the force identifies, evaluates, responds to, and shares with partners the threats they receive, particularly in cases where mental health appears to be a factor, is crucial to reducing the likelihood that such a terrible incident will occur again,” he said.
After the inquest, Deputy Chief Constable Andy Prophet apologized for the “failures identified by the inquest by Essex Police.”
“We have provided additional training to our contact handlers and colleagues who respond to calls for assistance,” he said.
A spokeswoman for Essex County Council’s adult mental health team apologized to Harley’s family “for the deficiencies of the Mental Health Act assessment performed on Mr. Glover on September 30, 2019.”
The authority stated that it has since implemented “safer practices” and improved its operational procedures.
