The police watchdog has launched an investigation into allegations that a student police officer in West Yorkshire was bullied before his death.
Anugrah Abraham, known as Anu, was on a placement with West Yorkshire police as part of his three-year apprenticeship degree at Leeds Trinity University. His family alleged he faced bullying, discrimination and a lack of support during his first on-the-ground placement at Halifax police station.
Abraham, 21, went missing on 3 March. He was found the next day and his family were told that he had killed himself.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) initially decided that only a local investigation was required, and it directed West Yorkshire police to investigate the complaint, but it reversed this decision after a backlash.
Christian Wakeford, the MP for Bury South and the family’s constituency parliamentarian, supported their call for the IOPC to investigate Abraham’s death and raised the matter with the home secretary in parliament on Monday, asking her to meet the family.
Alison Lowe, West Yorkshire’s deputy mayor for policing and crime, met Abraham’s family and wrote to the IOPC to ask for an independent investigation.
The family allege he faced targeted bullying from colleagues while on placement at Halifax police station, claiming he was shouted at in front of colleagues on numerous occasions and sent out to difficult disturbances on his own, including incidents concerning domestic abuse.
On one occasion early on in his training, the family allege, he was forced to carry out a full body search of a corpse found in a river. In shock at seeing the body, Abraham allegedly vomited, but his family say a colleague told him to “just do the search”.
His family claim he was made to conduct the search of the body alone, without teaching or peer support, and with no follow-up or debrief.
His family allege he was sent out to incidents alone working within a team and area, where he was the only young officer of Asian heritage and may have needed external support.
In a statement, the family said: “We expect the IOPC to carry out a fearless and thorough investigation and for it to be completed as soon as possible. We believe that he was the victim of an embedded culture of racism, bullying and intimidation, as has been made clear to us by a number of Anugrah’s colleagues who have corroborated our allegations. All of this must be fully investigated by the IOPC.”
Wakeford said: “This decision today is welcome but it is only one decision. There are still wider concerns of culture across the country that need looking into, as seen in the Casey review last week. I look forward to raising these issues with Anu’s family in a meeting with the home secretary as soon as possible”
Regarding the investigation into West Yorkshire police, Emily Barry, the IOPC regional director, said: “Having carefully considered representations made to us on this matter, we have determined it is now in the public interest for us to independently investigate these serious allegations.”
West Yorkshire police said: “We welcome the decision by the IOPC to manage this as an independent investigation; in fact the chief constable had already written to them supporting the same course of action. We will of course fully cooperate with their investigation.”
The family also alleged they were treated poorly by Greater Manchester police, who were in charge of Abraham’s missing persons case.
The IOPC said it had “identified evidence of positive action taken by the [Greater Manchester police] to locate” Abraham when they were made aware he had gone missing, and deemed that an independent investigation was not required.
In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is at 988 or chat for support. You can also text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis text line counsellor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org
