Scottish Police criticised after dead man is found in van
GETTY A police officer closed the incident after finding that the van was legally owned- STOCK PHOTO
David Penman, 46, was found dead in his work van – parked in a lay-by on a quiet country road in Dunipace, near Falkirk, on Thursday, December 15, last year. Police discovered him slumped in the driver’s seat, having died from carbon monoxide poisoning. There were no suspicious circumstances. A police watchdog probe found it took three separate calls to a control room on three different days before officers attended. The Police Investigations & Review Commissioner (PIRC) found there were clear inconsistencies in how the force’s Area Control Room (ACR) at Bilston Glen dealt with the reports and said important lessons must be learned.
NC Police found Penman had collapsed and died from carbon monoxide poisoning in his van
We hope Police Scotland will take these recommendations on board Mr Penman's family
The Bilston Glen centre was previously criticised following the deaths of John Yuill and Lamara Bell in 2015. The couple lay undiscovered for three days after a crash on the M9 near Stirling despite a sighting of their wrecked car being reported to the control room. Mr Penman’s van was spotted by a local on December 13. He contacted police with concerns the van may have been stolen as he had seen it parked there three days earlier. A check found the van was not stolen, was taxed and insured and was owned by a firm in Stirling, and a police officer closed the incident.
GETTY Mr Penman's van was spotted by a local last year STOCK PHOTO-Not actual van
Another member of the public called the next day but the report was dealt with by the same officer and no action taken. A third call was made by another person on December 15 about a lorry in the area. Officers were unable to find the lorry but spotted Mr Penman’s van around 50 minutes later. PIRC found “clear anomalies” in how the control room dealt with the three reports. The first two were graded as “priority four”, which should have attracted a scheduled police attendance. The third was graded as “priority two”, which required officers to be sent out within 15 minutes. The report said it would have been reasonable for ACR staff to contact the vehicle’s owners and either undertake or instruct some form of additional inquiry.
GETTY A watchdog found that it took three separate calls to a control room before officers attended