Kerry Power murder: Police 'overhaul' stalking policy

Kerry Power was murdered by her former partner in 2013

A police force has made a "complete overhaul" of how it tackles reports of stalking and harassment after a woman was killed by her former partner.

Primary school assistant Kerry Power, 36, was strangled by David Wilder in Plymouth in 2013.

On the night she died she dialled 999, but did not speak and so the call was not passed on to the police.

Devon and Cornwall Police said it had made the changes after a report criticised its handling of the case.

Wilder admitted murder and was sentenced to life, with a minimum term of 17 and a half years in 2014.

The court heard that in the days before the killing, he bombarded Ms Power with texts and phone calls, stalked her and turned up drunk at her house.

Ms Power's 999 call was not transferred to the police because of a system called Silent Solutions, intended to reduce the large number of hoax calls made.

Det Supt Ben Deer said all the changes had been made "with Kerry in mind"

In 2016, the Independent Police Complaints Commission, since replaced by the Independent Office for Police Conduct, published a report criticising how the force handled the case and made a number of recommendations.

The findings of a Domestic Homicide Review (DHR) to help identify risks and improve assistance for victims of stalking were released to the police and the family of Ms Power in 2019.

This report has now been made public after the family waived their right to anonymity.

Det Supt Ben Deer, from Devon and Cornwall Police, said the force believed the DHR changes would "reduce the likelihood of something like this ever happening again".

Among the changes is a "complete overhaul" of how stalking and harassment reports are reviewed and managed within the control room, as well as mandatory training for all recruits.

David Wilder was sentenced to life in prison for the murder

People making calls to report crimes are reminded to stay on the line and listen to the operator's instructions.

"We need to get that message out there that you cannot ring 999 and not say anything and expect a response," Det Supt Beer said.

He added the force must "support people to understand that and to make a noise, cough, tap the screen or press 55".

Det Supt Beer said all of the force's training around stalking and domestic violence was "done with Kerry in mind", thanking her family for the "fortitude they have shown in sticking with the process".

"Whilst these actions won't bring Kerry Power back, it does mean that her death isn't in vain," he said.