AT NO POINT during West Mercia Police’s 20 welfare visits to the home of Droitwich’s late Alfie Steele did an officer take the boy aside to speak to him alone, a police watchdog investigation has revealed.
Nine-year-old Alfie died at his home in Droitwich, in February 2021 after being repeatedly abused by his mother and her partner who were jailed two years later in June 2023.
His mother Carla Scott, 35, was sentenced to a minimum of 17 years for manslaughter and her partner, Dirk Howell, 41, was jailed for murder with a minimum 32 year sentence.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) reviewed 20 cases where the force had contact with Alfie and the couple between March 2018 and February 2021 and concluded there was ‘no indication of misconduct’ by any officer.
The IOPC’s investigation did however establish that the force did not sufficiently train frontline officers to identify child abuse.
Although every call made to the force in relation to Alfie was responded to, a different officer attended on each occasion and he was never spoken to by any officer on his own.
IOPC Director Derrick Campbell said: “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.
“On some occasions officers lacked professional curiosity and could have undertaken further enquiries.”
Investigators learnt that social services had told police Alfie was subject to a care plan and also that Howell posed a threat to the boy and should not have been in the property with him. There was, however, no order enforcing Howell’s removal from the home.
During the pair’s trial, the jury heard how Alfie was repeatedly beaten and ‘dunked’ in cold baths and had more than 50 injuries on his body at the time of his death.
Following the investigation, the IOPC recommended a host of police constables and community support officers took reflective practice on their handling of interactions with Alfie.
The watchdog also recommended the force puts warning markers down on its command and control logs to highlight when a child is subject to a Child Protection Plan.
The force was also asked to review policies regarding referrals to children’s services. Both recommendations have been accepted and actioned by the force.
West Mercia Police has trained hundreds more officers in relation to ensuring children have a voice when reports questioning a child’s welfare are received.
