Nottingham attacks: 3 officers face misconduct investigation over Valdo Calocane police review

Three police officers are under investigation over allegations of potential misconduct into how force inquiries were carried out into Valdo Calocane before the Nottingham attacks. The Independent Office for Police Conduct’s (IOPC), the police watchdog, said the investigation applied to two police constables and a sergeant at Leicestershire Police.

The force is subject to scrutiny over whether it could have apprehended paranoid schizophrenic Calocane after he was accused of attacking two colleagues at a warehouse in Kegworth in May 2023. It came just weeks before he killed students Barnaby Webber and Grace O'Malley-Kumar, both 19, and Ian Coates on June 13 in Nottingham.

In an update on Tuesday, July 2, the IOPC said decisions on whether any officers have a disciplinary case to answer will be taken on completion of the investigation.

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The police watchdog also outlined the scope of its investigation into how Nottinghamshire Police acted before and after the attacks. The families of the two University of Nottingham students and beloved school caretaker, who met with the IOPC, have previously accused the force of having "blood on your hands".

The watchdog said it is examining what information was available to police regarding Calocane, 32, prior to the killings, as well as the decisions and actions relating to Calocane after September 2021. It said it is also investigating "how police informed the families of the death of their loved ones, and the support they put in place for them, including how information from the ongoing investigation was communicated to them".

A spokesperson added: "We are also investigating whether senior officers followed relevant policies and procedures in their oversight of officers investigating the events of 13 June 2023 and subsequent events.

"It includes issues around communications with the family and public over the handling of inappropriate WhatsApp messaging and potential sharing of information about the case. All Nottinghamshire officers are currently being treated as witnesses."

Regional director Derrick Campbell said: “Our sympathies remain with the families of Ian, Grace and Barnaby for their loss in such tragic circumstances, and all those affected by the deaths. We recognise the significant public interest and concern over the horrific events of June last year, and the families’ understandable desire for answers as well as their call for change.

“We are acutely aware that we are one of a number of agencies conducting reviews into the circumstances of this terrible case. Whilst we will endeavour to answer as many of the questions arising from the families’ complaints as we can, our remit is limited.

“Some of the issues the families have raised as part of their complaints, as well as the broader questions raised about the criminal justice and health systems, are not something which the IOPC is able to investigate. We will, of course, keep them updated on the progress of our work.”

Senior officers have already admitted to some shortcomings in their conduct, such as the force's nine month long failure to find Calocane after he assaulted a police officer.

Nottinghamshire Police previously explained it had mostly met Calocane, who was sentenced to an indefinite hospital order in January, whilst supporting NHS mental health services. The police officer who was allegedly assaulted by Calocane in September 2021 had been transporting him to Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust's (NHFT) Highbury Hospital, where he was being taken after being sectioned under the Mental Health Act.