The mother of a 19-year-old girl, whose body was found two weeks after she went missing, has refused to accept an apology from the Metropolitan Police Department.
As evidence, Joel said he was “released” by police officers “in the darkest time of my life” after reporting Richard Okologe missing.
Treated as a vulnerable adult with sickle cell anemia, Richard disappeared from his home in west London on March 22, 2021.
The doting son was last seen on CCTV walking towards Epping Forest in Essex. His body was found on April 5 in a beautiful spot in Radbrook Grove, 20 miles from his parents’ home.
Mrs. Joel repeatedly tried to convince the police that a gifted student at Oxford Brooks had sickle cell anemia and left home without taking medication.
He spoke of his “deep regret” after the Independent Agency for Police Action (IOPC) investigation into his disappearance was completed.
Watchdog found that, overall, when Richard was reported missing, police officers provided an unacceptable level of service to Richard’s mother and the troops needed to apologize. The Metropolitan Museum of Art said today: “We have not reached the level that the general public expects of us.” “We apologize for the pain caused by the low level of service.”
Joel tells us: “IOPC investigations have revealed police failures, but there is still no accountability or disciplinary action.
“Sadly after a traumatic event and my treatment when I reported my dear son missing, he is no longer here. The police can only apologize. Apologies are not accepted.
“When Richard reported her missing, it wasn’t taken seriously. There were obviously a lot of mistakes, but she had to do something and learn lessons to prevent it from happening to other families in the future. These people should be punished and held accountable for what happened.” . they have done.
Joel, 40, told him that an officer asked him.
“It made me feel terrible,” he said. “They completely abandoned me, my family and Richard. I can’t bring Richard back, but something has to change. What I experienced, what my family experienced, I don’t want people to experience. lose, regardless of your race or place of origin, you should be lost. When you report the loss of a child or loved one, take it seriously. It should be.
Joel also spoke today through his leading law firm.
He states: “The IOPC investigation confirmed that I always knew. In the darkest time of my life, I was sacked by many members of the Metropolitan Police Department and my son’s disappearance was not taken seriously. The Metropolitan Police Department of IOPC has concluded that the performance of the three policemen, including the inspector and the three callers, does not meet the expected standards, but I deeply regret that no one is being prosecuted, therefore the apology is not accepted.
“It is a shame that the Metropolitan Police Department has now decided to apologise, following the IOPC’s recommendations, almost 16 months after Joel’s disappearance,” said Tara Malcare, solicitor at Bernberg Perth, who represents Joel.
Ms. Joel previously spoke about the current string of racism, explaining that her son was not treated as a priority in how the force responded when he tried to flag it down.
The nurse said she faced a “decisive” attitude from the police when the race blocked the incident and tried to report that she had been missing for two days. Richard was a freshman in a computer cybersecurity program, had a close relationship with his mother, and had no criminal record.
In response to an IOPC survey, Deputy Commissioner Bas Javid said:
Obviously, the services we provided in the days following Richard’s disappearance fell short of the level the community expected of us, including not treating Richard as a missing person. The risk is not updated in advance. The communication with the mother was not as informative and accurate as possible, and unfortunately it was an insensitive and inappropriate comment made by one of our officers.
“We address these issues directly with the officers and staff involved in further enhanced training.”
“We understand how painful it is not knowing where our loved ones are, and we challenge ourselves to better respond when someone reports a missing person.”
“To improve, we work with partners like the missing charity to understand and learn about the experiences of different communities in London.
“We are also introducing a new way of evaluating all the missing person reports we receive on a daily basis.”
IOPC found that six Met staff members, three police officers and three police staff are required to undertake “reflective practice”.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art said this was done through enhanced training for these officers and staff, and no staff member was found responsible for the misconduct.
The apology came after special measures were taken last week after inspections by Her Majesty’s police and fire rescue teams revealed many flaws.
Richard’s death hearing is scheduled for next year.
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Source: Metro
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