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Police Watchdog Criticizes Norfolk Force Over Mental Health Call
Developing
In Short: The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has criticized Norfolk Police for advising a family to call a locksmith instead of mental health services.
The call handlers, after consulting a supervisor, told the Harrisons that their situation did not meet the threshold for a police response and suggested they contact a locksmith.
In its report, the IOPC criticized Norfolk Police's handling of the call, stating that the force's 101 call handlers should have referred the family to mental health services.
The IOPC also criticized Norfolk Police's response to the family's complaint, calling the force's reply 'unnecessary and insensitive'.
The following morning, after a second call to police, officers found Hobie's body.
Hobie, 30, had schizophrenia and developmental trauma and was under the care of the Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust Community Mental Health Team.
The Norfolk and Suffolk Integrated Care Board said support for mental health crises could involve health, social care, ambulance, or police services.
The IOPC expressed concern that Norfolk Police may not fully understand the risks of their policy, which focuses on crime over mental health calls.
What this adds
The family's concerns highlight the potential dangers of policies that prioritize crime over mental health support.
What's still developing
- In August 2025, the family said they became concerned he had not spoken to them for more than 24 hours as he usually contacted them "several times a day".
- If you have been affected by any of the issues in this story, you can visit the BBC Action Line for support and information Unable to break in, they called Norfolk Police and told call handlers that their son had a history of self-harm and suicidal threats.
- A Prevention of Future Deaths report into the death of Sophie Cotton in County Durham, external said the policy appeared to overlook that mental health teams could not enter locked premises.