Wiltshire Police issue apology to Dawn Sturgess's family following final inquiry report
Dawn Sturgess died after coming into contact with the nerve agent Novichok in Wiltshire in 2018
Last updated 15 hours ago
Wiltshire Police have apologised to the family of Dawn Sturgess who died after coming into contact with the nerve agent Novichok in Wiltshire in 2018.
A public inquiry published the final report into her death today and Wiltshire Police say they are committed from learning from mistakes they made in their response to the incident.
In a statement Wiltshire Police Chief Constable Catherine Roper said:
"I would like to reaffirm that the collective condolences of everyone at Wiltshire Police remain with Dawn’s family and friends.
"Since Dawn’s death on July 8 2018, they have had to wait for answers as to how this tragedy unfolded.
"I cannot begin to imagine the pain of losing a daughter and not having a complete picture of how this happened.
"It is also important for me to acknowledge that, in part, this pain was compounded by mistakes made by Wiltshire Police.
"Dawn was wrongly described by Wiltshire Police as a known drug user – this was not correct and should never have happened. For this, I am truly sorry."
The inquiry also raised concerns about how Wiltshire Police responded to the second Novichok Incident, including officers’ interactions with other frontline responders.
Ms Roper said that the force is committed to learning "any further lessons" that have arise from the inquiry.
She added: "We identified 21 areas for improvement (grouped below) and these were tracked through our Force Organisational Learning Board chaired by Assistant Chief Constable Deb Smith."
The improvements include:
- Ensuring critical advice & guidance – such as Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) advice - is shared promptly and effectively with Wiltshire Police's frontline.
- Enhanced multi-agency exercise training.
- Recording of emergency services huddles on Body Worn Video (BWV) - Wiltshire Police say when emergency services make urgent decisions at scenes of incidents, these are now recorded on BWV to ensure total transparency and consistency.
- Ensuring only appropriate, objective and factual information is captured on police files and systems.
Wiltshire Police say they also fully accept all of the recommendations in made in the final report by the public inquiry today and are fully committed to making sure they are put in place.
Ms Roper said: "The organisational learning we have already progressed will absorb these and we will ensure these are continuously reviewed.
"The report clearly outlines national learning for policing and there will be a national process to absorb this. We will ensure the lessons we previously identified and those in today’s report will be included within this process.
"Throughout the Inquiry, we listened to the testimonies of our partner agencies to identify ways of continuing to strengthen our local relationships and partnerships.
"Evidence presented to the Inquiry illustrated the criticality of ensuring these relationships are constantly developed for us all to help best protect the public.
"As outlined in the improvements we’ve implemented, we’ve prioritised advancing these inter-emergency services relationships for the benefit of our communities, primarily through our Local Resilience Forum."
She also recognised the impacts of the Novichok poisonings had on those involved:
"It is important for me to recognise the significant impacts the Novichok poisonings had on Sergei and Yulia Skripal, former Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey, Dawn’s partner Charlie Rowley and all of their loved ones.
"Their lives have been irreversibly changed as a result of the poisonings and the Inquiry findings will have an impact upon them so my thoughts remain with them at this time.
"These events also impacted many of our officers, staff and volunteers – both within Wiltshire Police and the hundreds of colleagues who supported us on mutual aid during the incidents.
"I would once again like to thank every single person who stepped forward to support us, the ongoing Counter Terrorism Policing investigation and our affected communities.
"Beyond the public service response, these events have had a significant impact on our communities in Salisbury and Amesbury.
"Whilst they will not be defined by the malicious actions of those seeking to cause harm in Salisbury, they have had to acknowledge that this now forms part of their modern-day history.
"From the initial incident in Salisbury, the world watched on as local communities supported one another and the emergency services deployed in their neighbourhoods for months at a time.
"They have defined the true meaning of community spirit.
"Through our dedicated Neighbourhood Policing Teams, we will continue to support them and offer them the very best possible service."