Watchdog Criticises Norfolk Police After Grieving Family Was Told to Call a Locksmith Instead of Receiving Welfare Check

A police watchdog has issued a strong rebuke to Norfolk Police after call handlers advised a worried family to contact a locksmith rather than sending officers to check on their son, who was later found dead in his flat.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said the force's 101 call handlers should have referred Hobie Harrison's parents to mental health services when they raised concerns, but instead suggested they consider hiring a locksmith to gain entry to his home.

The events began on 6 August 2025, when Mark and Roberta Harrison contacted Norfolk Police to request a welfare check after their 30-year-old son failed to respond to them. Hobie was found dead the following day after the couple made a second request for police assistance.

According to the IOPC, the call handlers failed to ask sufficiently probing questions to properly assess the level of risk Hobie faced. The watchdog also said there should have been a clearer explanation given to his parents about why officers were not being dispatched under the force's Right Care, Right Person (RCRP) policy.

That policy, which Norfolk Police said it had been following, limits officer attendance at welfare calls to situations involving what it describes as an "immediate risk to life." The approach is designed to redirect mental health-related calls away from police and towards specialist services, but the IOPC's findings raise questions about how the policy is being applied in practice.

The IOPC expressed concern that Norfolk Police may not fully understand the risks associated with the policy. David Ford, the watchdog's director of oversight and casework, said concerns had been raised with the force about its interpretation of RCRP and its monitoring of the initiative. He added that as a result, the force has committed to undertaking a review to examine whether there are any organisational learnings to be drawn from the case.

Mark Harrison said the family would never know whether their son was still alive when they first called police, or whether intervention at that point could have made a difference. He acknowledged that Hobie might already have been dead, but said the uncertainty would remain with them.

The family's ordeal was compounded by Norfolk Police's response to a complaint they lodged in October 2025. The IOPC criticised the force after it told the parents that officers should not have attended either call, including the second one that led to the discovery of Hobie's body. The watchdog described that reply as "unnecessary and insensitive."

Hobie had schizophrenia and developmental trauma, and was under the care of the Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust Community Mental Health Team. His parents said he also had a history of drug use. The couple adopted Hobie as a child and described him as funny and mischievous, with a love of music and gardening.

They said he had been in good spirits the last time they saw him before his death. In August 2025, the family became concerned when he had not spoken to them for more than 24 hours, given that he normally contacted them several times a day. Roberta Harrison described the silence as very unusual and out of character.

The couple went to Hobie's flat but were unable to use their key because his key was still in the lock on the inside of the door. Mark Harrison said they were completely certain he was inside and not responding, and they knew something was seriously wrong. Unable to break in, they called Norfolk Police and told call handlers that their son had a history of self-harm and suicidal threats.

After consulting a supervisor, the staff member told them the situation did not meet the threshold for a police response and suggested they consider contacting a locksmith. Roberta Harrison said they did not know how to make a decision at that point or what to do.

Hobie had previously threatened suicide, which makes the decision not to send officers even more significant in the eyes of the watchdog. The family's complaint and the IOPC's findings have highlighted broader concerns about how police forces across England and Wales are implementing the RCRP approach.

Norfolk Police said it was reviewing the IOPC's findings but could not comment further because an inquest into Hobie's death has yet to take place. That inquest is scheduled for November. The force has also said it will conduct a review to examine whether any organisational changes are needed.

The case adds to a growing body of scrutiny around RCRP, which has been rolled out by police forces nationally. Proponents argue it frees up officer time for frontline crime and ensures people in mental health crisis receive care from the most appropriate professionals. Critics, however, warn that the policy can leave vulnerable people and their families without timely help when they need it most.

For Mark and Roberta Harrison, the loss of their son has been made harder by the knowledge that their first call for help did not result in officers being sent. They have been left unsure where to turn after being told their concerns for their son did not meet the threshold for a police response. The IOPC's intervention has at least validated their complaint, but it cannot undo the outcome of that August day.

The watchdog's findings serve as a warning to police forces that the interpretation of RCRP must be handled with care, particularly when families report specific concerns such as self-harm and suicidal thoughts. The review pledged by Norfolk Police will be watched closely by mental health charities, campaigners, and other families who have found themselves in similar situations.