An investigation has found that police officers failed to list a 38-year-old woman as missing before her body was discovered at her home in Ayrshire. The woman's death occurred in December 2018, and the probe by the Police Investigation & Review Commissioner (Pirc) highlighted significant procedural failings.
Concerns were first raised by an addiction service worker on 28 December when the woman, who had poor mental health, missed a social services appointment. Police were contacted but officers initially visited the property and could not establish if she was home. They spoke to neighbours who reported hearing movement inside the house.
The officers did not create a missing person report, which would have been in line with Police Scotland procedures and would have led to a search of the home. The case was passed to the next shift, and a supervisor later sent officers back the following day. They saw the woman through a window and forced entry, finding her unresponsive; paramedics confirmed she was dead.
The Pirc report concluded that while the call handler should have provided more background information, including the woman's mental health issues, it was unlikely that her death could have been prevented even if she had been found during the first police visit. Police Scotland has since implemented several recommendations, including reinforcing missing person procedures and improving communication for prolonged priority incidents.
Assistant Chief Constable John Hawkins expressed condolences and said the force is introducing a new approach to call assessment to better evaluate risk and vulnerability. The incident has prompted changes to ensure a more robust response in similar cases.
