The Independent Office for Police Conduct has issued criticism of Norfolk Police’s response to a welfare call made by the parents of Hobie Harrison in August 2025. When the family contacted emergency services expressing concerns about their son’s mental health and lack of contact, 101 call handlers suggested they hire a locksmith rather than directing them toward mental health resources or dispatching officers to conduct a welfare check.
Harrison’s parents made a subsequent call to police the following day, which resulted in officers attending the flat in Norwich where the 30-year-old was discovered deceased. The family later filed a formal complaint regarding the force’s handling of their initial contact. In its investigation, the IOPC found that call handlers should have posed more detailed questions to evaluate risk levels and provided clearer explanations to the parents about why officers were not being sent, particularly given that Norfolk Police operates under its Right Care, Right Person policy, which restricts police attendance at welfare calls to situations involving immediate danger to life.
The watchdog also criticized Norfolk Police’s response to the complaint itself, noting the force’s assertion that officers should not have attended either call as “unnecessary and insensitive.” The IOPC expressed concern that Norfolk Police may not fully comprehend the risks associated with the policy and indicated the force has committed to undertaking a review to identify any organizational lessons.
Norfolk Police implemented the Right Care, Right Person approach in 2024, noting the policy had reduced officer attendance at welfare-related incidents. However, multiple coroners have raised concerns about the policy’s application in other cases, pointing to gaps in response arrangements and noting that mental health teams cannot access locked premises. An inquest into Harrison’s death is scheduled for later this year.
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