Child abuse training failures before boy's murder

A police force that repeatedly met the family of a nine-year-old boy who was later murdered in his home did not sufficiently train front-line officers to identify child abuse, a police watchdog's report concluded.

Alfie Steele was killed by his mother and her partner at their home in Droitwich, Worcestershire, in 2021 and the pair were jailed two years later.

Twenty cases when West Mercia Police had contact with Alfie and the couple were examined by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) which concluded there was "no indication of misconduct" by any officer.

Alfie's grandfather Paul Scott said: "We see nothing in the report that shows any change, it is a waste of public money."

He told the BBC the report had not changed anything and he was "still living a nightmare which doesn't go away".

"If they had done their jobs, he wouldn't have died," Mr Scott said.

"Nothing will bring Alfie back but we hoped at least, that things would change and that another child wouldn't die."

The nine-year-old was subjected to months of abuse and died after being held under the water in the bath at his home in February 2021.

He had endured years of abuse and had more than 50 injuries on his body at the time of his death.

Alfie's mother, Carla Scott was jailed for manslaughter, while her partner, Dirk Howell was sentenced to at least 32 years in prison for murder in June 2023.

Mr Scott said he wanted somebody to be held accountable for his grandson's death.

He added: "What about the chain of command in the police?

"Nobody is taking responsibility. Nobody is learning, I don't want to turn on my television and see that another child has died."

The IOPC said it had examined cases where the force had contact with Alfie, his mother or Howell between March 2018 and February 2021, following concerns raised by worried neighbours and witnesses.

They found a different police officer or police community support officer (PCSO) responded to each call and Alfie was never spoken to by any officer on his own.

"Alfie's mother also often answered any questions on his behalf, which meant his voice was never heard by police," a spokesperson said.

"The climate of fear which existed within the family home often led to Alfie being in bed, allegedly asleep, during many of the times police were called."

The IOPC said its investigation had found areas of improvement for the force to better train officers to identify child abuse.

They include putting warning markers on police logs and highlighting that a child at a particular address is subject to a child protection plan.

They also recommend West Mercia Police's policies around referrals to children's services are reviewed to ensure they are fit for purpose, a finding which it said the force had accepted and introduced.

Derrick Campbell, an IOPC director, said: "We found no indication of misconduct by any individual officer but we recommended that eight police constables and two PCSOs undertake reflective practice, to review how they handled interactions concerning Alfie.

"In our view, when called to the home, officers should have found a way to speak to Alfie without other adults being present, in line with best practice."

Mr Campbell said the force had since trained hundreds more officers and were committed to ensuring everyone who worked there "knows Alfie's story" and making sure children "do have a voice" in any welfare reports.

The IOPC investigation began in July 2023, following a mandatory referral from West Mercia Police.

A BBC investigation previously found police and social workers were contacted more than 60 times by members of the public, who were concerned the nine-year-old was being abused.

Freedom of Information requests by the BBC discovered Worcestershire County Council was contacted 36 times between 2018 and 2020, by people who were concerned about his welfare.

West Mercia Police was also contacted 28 times in the same three years.

In a statement on Tuesday, the force said, following Alfie's death, it had carried out a review which led to "significant changes and training" for officers, to make sure the signs of child abuse and vulnerability were fully understood.

Deputy Chief Constable Rachel Jones said the force had since extended the training to raise awareness to all officers and staff of "the importance to capture the voice of the child".

"It has been our mission to share Alfie's story with our entire workforce to highlight the importance of this and how vital it is we get it right," she added.

"We must put safeguards in place to make sure no child ever suffers like that again."