The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has criticised Norfolk Police after call handlers told a family concerned about their son's mental health to ring a locksmith. The family had called on 6 August 2025 to request a welfare check for Hobie Harrison, who was found dead the following day.
The IOPC stated that the force's 101 call handlers should have referred the family to mental health services. Instead, they suggested contacting a locksmith. Norfolk Police said it was reviewing the findings and had been following its Right Care, Right Person (RCRP) policy, which limits officer attendance at welfare calls to cases involving "immediate risk to life".
The watchdog also said call handlers should have asked more probing questions to assess Hobie's risk level and provided a clearer explanation to his parents about why officers were not sent under RCRP guidelines. The IOPC expressed concern that Norfolk Police may not fully understand the risks of the policy and has raised these concerns with the force.
Norfolk Police introduced the RCRP approach in 2024, which it says has reduced officer attendance at welfare-related incidents. The force reported a decrease from 11,831 incidents in the year before the policy to 9,229 by its second year. An inquest into Hobie Harrison's death is due to take place in November.