Norfolk Police orders 'deeper review' into 999 policy after four found dead following ignored call

A forensic investigator outside a house in Costessey near Norwich after four people were found dead inside the property. Norfolk Constabulary said officers forced their way into an address in Allan Bedford Crescent, Costessey, shortly before 7am following a call from a member of the public. The bodies of four people were found inside and the force believes they were all known to each other. Picture date: Friday January 19, 2024. Credit: PA
Forensics officers on the scene at Queen's Hills, Costessey, near Norwich. Credit: PA

A police chief has asked inspectors to carry out a "deeper review" of his force after his officers failed to respond to a 999 call from a home where four people were later found dead.

The bodies of four members of the same family – a 45-year-old man, a 36-year-old woman and two young girls – were discovered at an address in Norfolk on Friday morning.

It was later revealed that a man had called 999 from the house on Allan Bedford Crescent, in Costessey, near Norwich, around an hour before they were found, but police were not sent.

Norfolk’s Chief Constable, Paul Sanford, said he had asked His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services, which is already carrying out a routine inspection of Norfolk Police, to carry out a “deeper review” of his force "to provide the reassurance that the public and I need in our response to emergency calls".

He added that the public and family would "rightly" want to know if the deaths could have been prevented.

"Following the identification of the earlier 999 call, the constabulary referred itself to the [Independent Office for Police Conduct] who will now investigate. It is because of this process that I choose my words carefully; not because I don’t want to be open and honest, but because I have a duty to protect the integrity of any investigation that needs to follow," he said.

“It will be for this investigation to identify and consider the circumstances and to consider if there were any issues with the response.

“I know the family and the public will rightly want to know whether there was an ability to prevent this tragedy, and this is a question that must be answered.

“However, at this stage, I cannot answer that question. What I can say is that we will be open and honest in the days, weeks, and months ahead, to get the answers to this question."

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The man found dead at around 7am on Friday has been named locally as Bartlomiej Kuczynski.

Norfolk Police confirmed it had also had previous contact at the address on 14 December in relation to a missing person inquiry, which will also be reviewed by the IOPC.

Post-mortem examinations carried out on Sunday found both adults died as a result of stab wounds to the neck.

The bodies of the two girls will be examined on Wednesday.

The force is not looking for anyone else in connection with the deaths.

Mr Sanford added: "We have thousands of interactions with the public every single day, on the phone and in person. It’s only right that when there are questions about our response, they are properly investigated, and I fully support and welcome this scrutiny.

"I will not wait for the outcome of this investigation to review our working practices and that process has started."

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