PFD report

Katherine Wright, known as Sarah · Prevention of Future Deaths report

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Issued 9 Dec 2025•Oxfordshire

Report record

Published report and response evidence

This page connects the concerns raised in this report with statements found in recipients’ published responses. A link shows a clear evidence connection; it does not assign responsibility.

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Concerns
2

Raised in this report

Recipients
1

Named on the report

Responses found
1

Of 1 recipient

Stated actions
3

Described in responses

Recipients and published responses

Source document

Full report text

This is the full text from the original published report.

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Concerns and recipient responses

Select any concern, action or position to view the source wording.

Concerns raised2

  1. Lack of protocols and guidance for escalating safety concerns and requesting additional search resources
  2. Lack of training and operational guidance for adequate premises searches in missing person cases
    Part of recurring concern: Unreliable missing-person response
Responses linked to these concerns

Each statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.

Actions described in response An action is something a recipient says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to a concern raised.3

  1. Action

    Update Missing Persons Operational Guidance with structured premises-search procedures, hazard controls, equipment guidance, and supervisory escalation requirements.

    Stated by Thames Valley PoliceStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 18 December 2025.
  2. Action

    Communicate the premises-search guidance changes to all officers through a force-wide communication.

    Stated by Thames Valley PoliceStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 18 December 2025.
  3. Action

    Integrate the new premises-search guidance into Foundation Training for new recruits.

    Stated by Thames Valley PoliceStated plannedThe respondent said that this action was planned when they made their response on 18 December 2025.

Source evidence

How this individual concern was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. Response links show a clear evidence connection; they do not assign responsibility.

PFD Monitor interpretation

Lack of protocols and guidance for escalating safety concerns and requesting additional search resources

Wider context from the report

“2. Absence of protocols for escalating safety concerns during searches. The officer who undertook the search felt unsafe due to the cluttered environment but did not escalate this concern or request additional resources to enable an adequate search to be carried out. There appears to be no guidance on when and how officers should escalate such issues. ”

Is this part of a recurring concern?

No recurring-concern membership is currently published.

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Source evidence

How this individual concern was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. Response links show a clear evidence connection; they do not assign responsibility.

PFD Monitor interpretation

Lack of training and operational guidance for adequate premises searches in missing person cases

Wider context from the report

“1. Lack of training and guidance for frontline officers on conducting searches of premises in missing person cases. Evidence given by the Police at the Inquest indicated that there is no structured training or clear operational guidance on what constitutes an adequate search, including checking all areas of a property where a person could reasonably be found. ”

Is this part of a recurring concern?

Yes — Unreliable missing-person response.

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Source evidence

How this respondent action was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

PFD Monitor interpretation

Update Missing Persons Operational Guidance with structured premises-search procedures, hazard controls, equipment guidance, and supervisory escalation requirements.

Verbatim wording from the response

“To address this, we have reviewed our Missing Persons Operational Guidance and included a new section dedicated to the searching of premises for missing persons. This includes sub sections on the extent of the search; equipment and resources that may be used including the use of personal protective equipment; potential hazards and how the Specialist Search Unit may be used to advise and mitigate such hazards. The source documents used to create this section include a College of Policing e-learning package ‘Searching Premises’ and an input for all new recruits on Specialist Police Search Advisors. This new guidance has been shared with our Learning and Development department and will be integrated into Foundation Training for new recruits. It has also been shared with all officers in a force wide communication.”

Source location

Response from Thames Valley Police
Page 1 · response
Published 18 December 2025

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Source evidence

How this respondent action was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

PFD Monitor interpretation

Communicate the premises-search guidance changes to all officers through a force-wide communication.

Verbatim wording from the response

“To address this, we have reviewed our Missing Persons Operational Guidance and included a new section dedicated to the searching of premises for missing persons. This includes sub sections on the extent of the search; equipment and resources that may be used including the use of personal protective equipment; potential hazards and how the Specialist Search Unit may be used to advise and mitigate such hazards. The source documents used to create this section include a College of Policing e-learning package ‘Searching Premises’ and an input for all new recruits on Specialist Police Search Advisors. This new guidance has been shared with our Learning and Development department and will be integrated into Foundation Training for new recruits. It has also been shared with all officers in a force wide communication.”

Source location

Response from Thames Valley Police
Page 1 · response
Published 18 December 2025

Open published response

Source evidence

How this respondent action was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

PFD Monitor interpretation

Integrate the new premises-search guidance into Foundation Training for new recruits.

Verbatim wording from the response

“To address this, we have reviewed our Missing Persons Operational Guidance and included a new section dedicated to the searching of premises for missing persons. This includes sub sections on the extent of the search; equipment and resources that may be used including the use of personal protective equipment; potential hazards and how the Specialist Search Unit may be used to advise and mitigate such hazards. The source documents used to create this section include a College of Policing e-learning package ‘Searching Premises’ and an input for all new recruits on Specialist Police Search Advisors. This new guidance has been shared with our Learning and Development department and will be integrated into Foundation Training for new recruits. It has also been shared with all officers in a force wide communication.”

Source location

Response from Thames Valley Police
Page 1 · response
Published 18 December 2025

Open published response
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Information checked against the published report and official responses · Data reviewed 7 Sep 2026 · About data quality and limitations

Data last updated 7 September 2026