'Do not take suicides at face value', police force told

A Domestic Homicide Review says officers should consider the reason behind suicides when called to sudden deaths

Police should not take suicides at "face value" following the death of a domestic abuse victim, a report said.

A Domestic Homicide Review (DHR) into the death of a woman in Peterborough in 2021 said there were "numerous indications" of relationship issues at the scene, which were "ignored".

It also highlighted that four out of seven domestic homicide reviews in the city involved people from Lithuania.

The force said "significant changes" had been made since the woman's death.

The DHR report - which called the woman "Rosita" - said that apart from ruling out homicide, officers who attended the sudden death call did not consider the cause of the woman's suicide, despite "numerous indications of issues within the relationship".

These issues were also not reported to the coroner, it said.

Information about domestic abuse and concerns from Rosita's brother and a friend stating they knew she was being physically and mentally abused by her husband were also not forwarded or acted upon, the report added.

Cambridgeshire Police say they have made changes after a domestic homicide review said officers "ignored" signs of relationship issues

The DHR recommended the force train officers at the scene to consider why a person may have taken their own life, especially in cases where there may not be previous reports of domestic abuse.

A review of the force's homicide, sudden and unexplained death procedure was also suggested.

'Significant changes'

The review also made a number of recommendations regarding other agencies.

It said the lack of a dedicated community safety officer in Peterborough to deal with issues raised in DHRs had "thwarted the implementation" of previous recommendations.

The report recommended the Safer Peterborough Partnership conduct research to understand why Lithuanian women were "more likely to suffer a domestic abuse-related death than any other person living in the area".

The review said that, due to the "increasing amount" of DHRs where a victim has taken their own life due to a history of domestic abuse, it recommended the Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence team for the area work with suicide prevention leads to identify any patterns.

A Cambridgeshire Police spokeswoman said it had "taken on board" the findings of the DHR and had made " several significant changes" since Rosita's death in 2021.

This has included a review of the force's sudden death procedure with "greater oversight" from senior detectives when investigating the reasons why someone may have taken their own life.

A spokesman for Peterborough Safer Peterborough Partnership said they were "committed to providing support for those affected by domestic violence".

The partnership had introduced two specialist Lithuanian domestic abuse workers at Peterborough Women's Aid to support victims, he added.