Thames Valley Police take four hours to respond to call

The girl was abused at a property in London Street in Faringdon but police responded to a call raising concerns for her four hours later

A girl was sexually abused while police took four hours to respond to concerns for her safety, an investigation found.

Thames Valley Police (TVP) was called at 03:46 BST to reports Shane Blake had been buying the 15-year-old alcohol at a pub in Faringdon, Oxfordshire.

When officers were dispatched at 07:37, they found Blake in bed with the girl. He was arrested two days later after he fled the property in August 2019.

The delay in responding was due to the call being incorrectly classified.

Blake, 26, of The Elms, Langford, was jailed for three years and nine months on 6 March 2020 after he pleaded guilty to sexual activity with a child.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said he had escaped the scene after one officer asked him to move into another room unsupervised so he could assist the girl.

A second officer was downstairs seeking advice from a sergeant on the radio.

The IOPC told the BBC its evidence suggested the victim was attacked in the hours between when the police were contacted and the point when officers were eventually despatched.

It said the force's control room had attempted to respond to the initial report made by Blake's friend, but no officers were available so the case could not be assigned.

The call was not graded as "immediate" - the highest level of urgency, the watchdog said.

During a "very busy shift with several immediate-grade incidents ongoing," a spokesman added, officers "got to the case when they could, based on the grading".

The IOPC said it had "found an area of concern" in the force's control room practice of merging police area desks.

Investigators said each force area would have a dedicated radio operator and dispatcher to manage calls and allocate resources.

In "traditionally quiet periods", they said, desks would be merged as it was considered "more efficient" for call-handling staff to cover a bigger patch.

"Despite the shift being extremely busy," at the time police were called about Blake, the practice of merging desks was being followed, the IOPC said.

It has since recommended the force reassess the practice.

The watchdog said TVP had accepted its findings and it had attended a meeting between the girl's father and the control room chief inspector to discuss "changes that have been put in place to prevent future issues".

TVP's contact management department has responsibility for all police inquires from the public as well as its various control rooms. It has about 1,200 staff spread across sites in both Thames Valley and Hampshire Constabulary.

A police spokesman said no officer or member of staff had been dismissed or disciplined over the case, but said "learning was identified and put in place with the staff involved and the wider control room".