Police failings over abandoned vehicle reports highlighted

The Police Investigations & Review Commissioner (PIRC) has said important lessons must be learned after a man’s body was found inside his van by police three days after they were first informed the vehicle was parked in a lay-by.

A post-mortem examination revealed that David Penman, 46, died from carbon monoxide poisoning from inhaling the products of a small petrol generator found in the van. It could not be established whether his death was accidental or deliberate.

Commissioner Kate Frame identified failings in the way police responded to three separate reports of concern from members of the public over a three day period in December 2016.

The circumstances leading up to the incident were referred to the PIRC by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS).

Ms Frame said: “It would be unrealistic to expect the police to investigate each report of an abandoned vehicle.

“However, in this case had the repeated concerns expressed by members of the public been acted on earlier, additional information would have been available which may have prompted officers to locate and search the van in the layby sooner.

“While it cannot be determined that if police had acted when the deceased’s vehicle was first reported, he would have been found alive, there are important lessons to be learned in how police deal with similar incidents in the future.”

The commissioner recommended that Police Scotland adopt a flexible and practical approach to reports of abandoned or suspicious vehicles and that they examine all the circumstances, which may include attempting to contact the owners, before deciding whether or not to undertake further enquiries.