Home / Crime and Justice / Watchdog Blasts Norfolk Police on Welfare Check Fail
Watchdog Blasts Norfolk Police on Welfare Check Fail
30 Sep
Summary
- Call handlers advised family to ring a locksmith for a welfare check.
- Man found dead day after first police contact.
- Watchdog cites concerns over mental health policy interpretation.
The police watchdog has sharply criticized Norfolk Police's handling of a welfare check request, which resulted in a family being advised to call a locksmith. On August 6, 2025, Hobie Harrison's parents contacted Norfolk Police due to his unresponsiveness, but were given advice to contact a locksmith despite raising mental health concerns. Officers later found the 30-year-old deceased in his Norwich flat the following day, after a second welfare check request.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) found that the force's 101 call handlers should have referred the family to mental health services. The IOPC also noted that Norfolk Police's response to the family's subsequent complaint was "unnecessary and insensitive." Concerns have been raised that the force may not fully understand the risks associated with its 'Right Care, Right Person' (RCRP) policy, which prioritizes officer response for immediate threats to life.
Norfolk Police stated it was reviewing the IOPC's findings and that its actions aligned with the RCRP policy. The policy, adopted in 2024, aims to reduce police involvement in welfare incidents. Hobie Harrison, who had schizophrenia and developmental trauma, was under community mental health team care. His parents have expressed uncertainty about whether earlier intervention could have made a difference. An inquest into Hobie's death is scheduled for November 2025.
