Police call handler failed murder victim

A police call handler failed to recognise the "seriousness of the situation" when father-of-seven Mohammed Raja Shafiq rang shortly before his murder, a report has concluded.

Mr Shafiq told police he was heading to Thompson Park, Burnley, to confront a gang of men who had been following his 18-year-old son.

Just 15 minutes after he ended the call he was stabbed to death by one of the gang, Mohammed Bilal Bhatti, on March 4. Bhatti, 21, has admitted the murder after changing his plea at Manchester Crown Court.

A report by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) concluded the female employee of Lancashire Constabulary who took the call was guilty of "individual failings".

She decided not to raise the alarm and dispatch police officers to the scene but instead merely noted a message needed to be passed to the detective who Mr Shafiq had wanted to speak to.

The watchdog said the call handler also missed key information by speaking over him and had failed to adhere to recognised standards and practices.

Naseem Malik, IPCC Commissioner for the North West, said: "Mr Shafiq contacted Lancashire Constabulary with real concerns about the welfare of his son. However he did not receive the service he needed and decided to deal with the situation himself, with tragic consequences. My sympathies go out to Mr Shafiq's family and friends.

"Police call handlers have a very important role to play in understanding the needs of callers to ensure the appropriate response is given.

"In this instance an individual handled Mr Shafiq's call badly, thus creating a situation where it appears he believed he had to deal with matters himself. That situation should not have developed and the public must be able to have confidence that when they report an emergency to the police they will receive the appropriate response."

Ms Malik added: "Standards and practices for call handling do exist already, but in this instance an individual member of staff failed to adhere to them. I hope lessons have been learned from this investigation."

The IPCC said discussions were ongoing with Lancashire Constabulary over what action will be taken against the call handler.

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