Death of Katie Simpson: Statement from Assistant Chief Constable Beck

Further to yesterday’s statement from the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland, Assistant Chief Constable Davy Beck said: “First and foremost, I wish to express my deepest sympathy to Katie’s family and friends who have had to live with unimaginable pain and suffering as they continue to come to terms with the utterly shocking circumstances of her death. 

“No family should ever have to experience what they are going through.

“I acknowledge that there were shortcomings in various stages of the investigation into Katie’s death and I unreservedly apologise for this.  

“It is clear that we were not rigorous enough in our pursuit of all potential lines of enquiry and did not act quickly enough in responding to some of the concerns that were raised around Katie’s death. 

“We relied too much on the lack of any presenting medical evidence around what had happened to Katie when she was first admitted to hospital and on the forensic post mortem that was conducted on August 11, 2020.

“Our systems failed to identify Creswell’s previous related, serious offending. We acknowledge this and reaffirm our position that we must and will do better, moving forward. 

“As a result of these shortcomings, the Police Ombudsman recommended misconduct proceedings in relation to six officers*.  However, it is important to note that this is less about individual officers’ actions and more about our organisation not getting things right from the outset. 

“We are absolutely committed to learning from this case and recommendations from the Police Ombudsman of Northern Ireland have already been actioned.  I am determined that the Police Service of Northern Ireland will be a victim-focused organisation and will proactively tackle violence against women and girls, controlling and coercive behaviour, and all forms of misogyny.

“We are now in year three of the PSNI’s Violence Against Women and Girls action plan and have made significant progress with 33 out of 41 actions completed in years one and two.

“Whilst violence against women and girls is a societal issue and is one which we cannot deal with on our own, we have worked diligently with local community groups and support services over the last two years to develop specialist training packages, and the experiences of women and girls are at the forefront of this.  

“We are not complacent and will continue to hold a mirror to our organisation, challenging ourselves at every opportunity. Actions which are currently being developed include supporting the safer night-time economy strategy for Northern Ireland, reviewing standards and behaviours, training for our people and reviewing the service policy in relation to the Death Investigation Procedure. 

“Too many women and girls are caught in a cycle of fear and violence, too afraid to come forward.  I urge victims to speak to us – we are here to listen, to help and to keep you safe. There is much work to be done but we will continue to be unyielding in our investigations into violence, intimidation and abuse of women and girls.

“I’m mindful that, even as I speak, Katie’s loving family and close friends continue to suffer terribly, and my thoughts are with them.”