Police pilot over McElhill case

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Senior social workers are to work with police to help prevent a repetition of the failings which led to the McElhill fire tragedy.

Arthur McElhill, a convicted sex offender, set fire to his home, killing his partner and their five children.

A pilot scheme will be launched where social workers work directly with the eight PSNI Public Protection Units.

Sinn Fein Policing Board member Martina Anderson said the scheme would help information flow between agencies.

McElhill burned down the house at Lammy Crescent, Omagh, in November 2007 because his partner, Lorraine McGovern, threatened to leave him.

A report into the tragedy by Henry Toner QC criticised how different agencies communicated information about the type of man McElhill was.

The report made 63 recommendations in 2008, two of which directly related to the police.

Ms Anderson said the police have now confirmed the pilot scheme which is to "to allow for the ready and continual exchange of information to protect the vulnerable".

"The PSNI is also examining the feasibility of an automatic alert system that will flag any call, regardless of nature, to the address of a Registered Sex Offender.

"Again, this will help ensure that people like Arthur McElhill, who was a clear danger to children, are not allowed to slip through the net," she said.

"The horrific nature of the McElhill tragedy is almost unspeakable and there is nothing that any of us can now do to put that right.

"However, we all have a responsibility to ensure that the lessons of this tragedy are learned and that every agency puts in place new measures to prevent any recurrence."

The police have said that they have accepted the recommendations of the Toner report to have social workers work within the Public Protection Units and they were working towards implementing this.