The independent police watchdog has issued a stinging critique of Norfolk Police after call handlers told a distressed family to contact a locksmith rather than sending officers to perform a welfare check on their son. Hobie Harrison, 30, who lived with schizophrenia and developmental trauma, was found dead in his Norwich flat the day after his parents first alerted authorities to their fears. Mark and Roberta Harrison reported that their son had stopped communicating, which was highly unusual given their daily routine, and discovered they could not enter his home because his key was still in the lock from the inside.
Despite the parents informing operators that Hobie had a history of self harm and suicidal thoughts, they were told the situation did not meet the threshold for police intervention. The Independent Office for Police Conduct stated that handlers failed to ask probing questions to assess the actual level of risk and should have referred the family to mental health services instead of suggesting a commercial locksmith. It wasn’t until the parents made a second plea for help the following morning that officers finally attended the property and discovered Hobie’s body.
At the heart of the controversy is the Right Care, Right Person policy, an initiative designed to limit officer attendance at welfare calls unless there is an immediate threat to life, allowing police to focus more resources on crime. While Norfolk Police noted that this strategy has significantly reduced unnecessary deployments, the watchdog expressed serious concern that the force may not fully grasp the inherent risks of such a restrictive approach. David Ford, director of oversight and casework at the IOPC, confirmed that concerns regarding how the policy is interpreted and monitored have been raised directly with the force.
Adding to the family’s grief, the watchdog described Norfolk Police’s initial response to their formal complaint as unnecessary and insensitive. In those communications, the force reportedly argued that officers should not have attended either call, including the final one where Hobie’s body was recovered. For Mark and Roberta Harrison, these responses provided little comfort as they grapple with the haunting uncertainty of whether their son was still alive during that first ignored phone call. Norfolk Police says it is now conducting a review to determine what organizational lessons can be learned ahead of an inquest scheduled for November.
