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Six Gwent officers to face misconduct hearings after victims were found nearly 48 hours later
Six Gwent Police officers will face disciplinary proceedings after an Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigation found failings in the way missing-person reports were handled before a car carrying five people was discovered in woodland near the A48 in St Mellons, Cardiff. Three people — Eve Smith (21), Darcy Ross (21) and Rafel Jeanne (24) — died at the scene, and two others were seriously injured. The vehicle and its occupants were found shortly after midnight on 6 March 2023, almost 48 hours after they were last seen.
What the watchdog found
The IOPC’s review followed mandatory referral and examined Gwent Police’s handling of missing-person reports made by family members on 4 and 5 March 2023. The watchdog concluded there were a number of shortcomings in how the inquiry was supervised, resourced and recorded. Specific allegations include failures to carry out basic enquiries, inadequate house searches, not recording and sharing information with supervisors, poor communication with families, and issues with how risk assessments were reviewed. For more than half of the family complaints the IOPC judged the service provided as unacceptable.
Of the six officers, the IOPC says:
• A sergeant who supervised the investigation on 5 March has a case to answer for gross misconduct in relation to supervision of the missing persons enquiry.
• One constable faces gross misconduct allegations for allegedly failing to carry out basic enquiries and for poor communication with family members.
• Two constables face gross misconduct allegations for allegedly failing to conduct house searches in line with policy and then giving dishonest accounts to supervisors and IOPC investigators; one of these officers was criminally investigated but the IOPC said there was insufficient evidence to refer the case to the Crown Prosecution Service.
• One constable and one sergeant face misconduct (lesser) allegations connected to searches and risk assessments.
The families and the wider concerns
Families of the victims submitted more than 30 complaints about how both Gwent Police and South Wales Police handled the missing-person reports, centring on communication breakdowns and missed opportunities to act on information from relatives. The IOPC recommended learning for both forces, including a clearer protocol for joint ownership of missing-person investigations, better transfer procedures for control-room information, and improved training for communicating with families at scenes of road traffic incidents.
What happens next
The IOPC has said the matter will now be considered by a police disciplinary panel arranged by Gwent Police, which will review the evidence and reach a decision. Derrick Campbell, an IOPC director, said the investigation had been “complex and resource intensive” and underlined the importance of independent scrutiny to maintain public confidence in policing.
Gwent Police has expressed condolences and said it will cooperate with the IOPC’s findings and the disciplinary process. News organisations covering the development note the seriousness of the allegations — that people reported missing were not located for nearly two days — and the potential for disciplinary outcomes to lead to dismissals or other sanctions if gross misconduct is found proven.
Why this matters
The deaths have already prompted wider questions about how missing-person reports are risk assessed and acted upon, the quality of information-sharing between forces, and how police balance workloads and resource constraints when multiple reports are made. The IOPC’s recommendations aim to reduce the chance of similar tragedies recurring and to rebuild trust with the families affected.
This article summarises the IOPC’s published findings and subsequent reporting. The officers named by the watchdog face disciplinary allegations but have not been found guilty of misconduct — the disciplinary panel will determine whether the allegations are proven. For the IOPC’s full statement and detailed list of the allegations, see their news release.
Attached is a news article regarding six police officers facing misconduct after the death of rafel jeanne and Darcy Ross
Article written and configured by Christopher Stanley
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