UK police criticized after telling family to call locksmith
Police watchdog slams Norfolk Constabulary after call handlers suggested a locksmith instead of sending officers to check on 30-year-old Hobie Harrison.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- The IOPC watchdog criticized Norfolk Police for telling a concerned family to call a locksmith.
- Parents called Norfolk Police on August 6, 2025, after their 30-year-old son failed to respond.
- Officers later found Hobie Harrison dead in his flat in Norwich the following day.
- The incident highlights controversies surrounding the RCRP policy on mental health welfare checks.
The police watchdog has strongly criticized Norfolk Constabulary after its call handlers advised a family raising urgent mental health concerns to contact a locksmith instead of dispatching officers.
On August 6, 2025, Mark and Roberta Harrison contacted Norfolk Police to request a welfare check for their 30-year-old son, Hobie Harrison, after he stopped responding to them and failed to make his usual daily contact.
The Right Care, Right Person (RCRP) policy was designed to reduce police involvement in mental health incidents, allowing officers to focus on core crime and immediate threats to life. However, this tragic case has reignited scrutiny over how call handlers assess risk and coordinate with healthcare services during critical situations.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) stated that the 101 call handlers should have referred the family directly to mental health services and asked more probing questions to evaluate Hobie's risk level, rather than suggesting a locksmith.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
Following the initial brush-off, the parents made a second call to Norfolk Police the next day. Officers finally attended and discovered Hobie dead inside his flat in Norwich. In October 2025, the family formally complained about how their original emergency call was handled.
The IOPC further blasted Norfolk Police's response to that complaint, labeling the force's claim that officers should not have attended either call—including the one where Hobie's body was found—as "unnecessary and insensitive."
"We'll never know whether he was still alive when we first called and whether something could have been done."
Mark Harrison
Hobie had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and developmental trauma, receiving care from the Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust Community Mental Health Team, alongside a history of past suicide threats.
David Ford, the watchdog's director of oversight and casework, confirmed that concerns have been raised directly with the force regarding its interpretation and monitoring of the RCRP initiative. Norfolk Police stated a review will be conducted to examine organizational learnings ahead of a scheduled inquest in November.
Source: BBC Health
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