23 January 2024 , 15:44
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A father who was found dead at home with his two young daughters and sister-in-law had missed an emergency mental health assessment weeks earlier, it has emerged.
Bartlomiej Kuczynski, 45, his girls Jasmin, 12, and seven-year-old Downreuang and their aunt were found dead at a property in Costessey, near Norwich, on Friday morning. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is investigating Norfolk Constabulary after the force admitted it received a 999 call from a man inside the property earlier that day but failed to attend.
And now it's understood the IOPC is also investigating contact Norfolk Police had with Mr Kuczynski on December 14 after he was reported missing. The father of two was taken to hospital for an emergency mental health assessment but somehow was able to leave the site in Colney, Norfolk, unescorted before it was carried out.
Neighbours also said said Mr Kuczynski had been suffering with mental health problems for months and had asked for help, although they didn’t know if he had engaged with mental health services. Norfolk Police, whose Chief Constable, Paul Sanford, said last night the force will be will be "open and transparent" with its investigation, is currently involved in a phased introduction of a scheme called Right Care, Right Person, which is aimed at reducing the amount of time officers spend on mental health-related incidents, it is believed.
Campaigners have warned more people could be left at risk as a result – although Norfolk Police has said officers would still attend incidents where there is believed to be an immediate threat to life.
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Tributes have been paid to Jasmin (left) and Downreuang (East Anglia News Service)Norfolk Constabulary received the 999 call from Mr Kuczynski at around 6am on Friday but "resources were not deployed". They finally responded after a second call around an hour later from a member of the public who "wanted to raise a concern about the people inside," Mail Online reports.
Officers arrived at 7.15am and broke in to find the bodies of Polish-born Mr Kuczynski, his daughters, and their aunt, Kanticha Noon, 36, from Bangkok, Thailand. The girls’ mother, Nanthaka Kuczynska, was at her job as a caretaker at the time.
Post-mortem examinations on Sunday revealed Ms Noon – who arrived in the UK on December 27 to help care for her nieces - died from multiple stab wounds to the neck, while Mr Kuczynski had a single stab wound to the neck.
Chief Const Sanford described the incident as "horrific and tragic" but said he couldn’t comment on it further due to the IOPC investigation. The county’s police and crime commissioner, Giles Orpen-Smellie, has stated he will "robustly" hold the chief constable to account for the actions of officers and other staff.
Mr Kuczynski and his family's deaths have been described as 'tragic' by police (ENTERPRISE NEWS AND PICTURES)
Kanticha Noon, from Bangkok, Thailand, was visiting her family (East Anglia News Service)Chief Const Sanford added: "This is a tragic and horrific incident and my thoughts, and that of the entire constabulary, remain with the family of those involved. I’m aware this incident has also caused great upset and shock in Costessey, the wider community and beyond.
“Following the identification of the earlier 999 call, the constabulary referred itself to the IOPC who will now investigate. It is because of this process that I choose my words carefully; not because I don’t want to be open and honest, but because I have a duty to protect the integrity of any investigation that needs to follow.
“It will be for this investigation to identify and consider the circumstances and to consider if there were any issues with the response. I know the family and the public will rightly want to know whether there was an ability to prevent this tragedy, and this is a question that must be answered.
“However, at this stage, I cannot answer that question. What I can say is that we will be open and honest in the days, weeks, and months ahead, to get the answers to this question. There will, of course, also be an inquest that will review the wider circumstances surrounding the deaths and the involvement of the police and other agencies.
"We have thousands of interactions with the public every single day, on the phone and in person. It’s only right that when there are questions about our response, they are properly investigated, and I fully support and welcome this scrutiny. I will not wait for the outcome of this investigation to review our working practices and that process has started.
“Furthermore, the constabulary is currently undergoing a routine inspection by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services. That inspection includes an assessment of our response to 999 calls.
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“Today, I have asked the Inspectorate to consider undertaking a deeper review than the robust inspection already planned, to provide the reassurance that the public and I need in our response to emergency calls.”