Police left voicemail on Lamara Bell's mobile 10 days after she died

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/jul/28/lamara-bell-police-left-voicemail-days-after-she-died

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The brother of Lamara Bell, who died from her injuries after police failed to follow up a report of her car crashing off a motorway in central Scotland, has described the force as “useless” after it emerged that a constable left a voicemail on his sister’s mobile 10 days after her death.

Bell, 25, lay undiscovered from early on Sunday 5 July until the following Wednesday morning next to the body of her boyfriend John Yuill, 28, after their car left the road on the M9 southbound near junction nine at Bannockburn.

She died the following Sunday 12 July at the Queen Elizabeth University hospital in Glasgow. Bell, who had two young children, had been placed in a medically induced coma after suffering a head injury and broken bones in the crash and kidney damage as a result of dehydration.

Related: Police Scotland apologises for ‘failing’ families of Lamara Bell and John Yuill

Police Scotland has since faced a barrage of criticism, with continuing calls for its chief constable, Sir Stephen House, to resign, after it emerged that a call reporting the crash on the morning it happened was not entered into the force’s systems.

Bell’s brother Martin said his parents were visited by a senior police officer on Tuesday morning, who informed them that one of his constables had left a voicemail message on her mobile phone on 21 July.

He wrote on Facebook: “They told my dad this constable left a voicemail on her mobile saying ‘Lamara we are looking to speak to your sister Rebecca, if you have seen her can you give us a call back?’ Are you kidding me on? Are the police for real! They come to apologise in advance for when my mum and dad hear this voicemail for themselves ... shower of useless bastards!”

Ch Supt John Hawkins, the Forth Valley divisional commander, who visited Bell’s family, reiterated his apologies.

He said: “I am deeply disappointed that we have shown such a lack of awareness given all the briefings put in place within Forth Valley area and the media coverage reflecting the level of shock felt across the country.

“We clearly regret having caused any further upset to them. I have given all the details to the Bell family of why the call was made and given my and the chief constable’s sincere apologies on behalf of the force.”

Related: Lamara Bell dies of injuries sustained in M9 car crash

Although House described the catastrophic error in failing to follow up the crash report as the result of “individual failure” in a statement immediately after it was revealed, in which he publicly apologised to both families, the scale of the crisis engulfing the force’s call-handling operation has become increasingly apparent.

Serious questions have been raised by people including anonymous officers and civilian workers about whether the failure was the result of deeper and more systemic problems within Police Scotland, which was centralised into a single force in 2013 and has since seen severe cuts in control room staff.

Immediately after the discovery of Bell and Yuill, the incident was referred to Scotland’s police investigations and review commissioner (PIRC), which has begun an investigation, while Scotland’s justice secretary, Michael Matheson, has formally directed Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland (HMICS) to undertake a “thorough and speedy” review of all police call-handling.

The Scottish Conservative justice spokeswoman, Margaret Mitchell, said the latest error underlined the level of chaos that Police Scotland is operating under.

She said: “Calls are not being dealt with correctly and simple information – which should be at people’s fingertips – is clearly not being passed on at a local level.”