Police chief to be investigated over claims she tried to shackle press

A police chief is set to be investigated by watchdogs over claims she attempted to cover up her department's failings linked to the Nottingham stabbings investigation.

Chief Constable Kate Meynell will undergo a probe conducted by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) after claims she tried to suppress members of the media from revealing that the perpetrator of the attacks had previously been reported on two occasions, according to the Mirror.

Knifeman Valdo Calocane had been reported to authorities for stalking on two separate occasions before stabbing Barnaby Webber, Grace O'Malley-Kumar and Ian Coates to death in 2023.

Chief Constable Meynell had revealed the oversight in a private press briefing but had journalists in attendance sign non-disclosure agreements, preventing them from publishing the information.

This attempt to conceal police failings was revealed by the Nottingham Post, with the victims families launching a formal complaint to the Nottingham Police and Crime Commissioner.

On Friday when the probe into the Chief Constable was confirmed, relatives of the victims remarked that it was 'no less than she deserved'.

Releasing a joint statement to the media, the families said: 'We welcome news that the appalling actions and decisions of Kate Meynell, the Chief Constable of a failing police force, will be fully investigated. 

'We believe she chose to hold a non-reportable media briefing to withhold information and shackle the press from reporting further gross actions of her force'.

The perpetrator, 32-year-old Valdo Calocane, was a diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic who went on a horrific stabbing spree through Nottingham city centre in June 2023.

Victims Barnaby Webber and Grace O'Malley-Kumar were both just 19-year-old students making their way home from a night out when Calocane confronted them.

The crazed knifeman then stabbed 65-year-old school caretaker Ian Coates whilst robbing his van, which he crashed and seriously injured three further people in the process.

Should the IOPC find from its independent investigation that Chief Constable Meynell has committed a criminal offence, the case will be passed onto the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Other potential outcomes of the probe include changes to police policy or internal disciplinary proceedings.

In the wake of the stabbings, there were also calls for Chief Constable Meynell to step down when it emerged her own son was one of the Nottinghamshire Police officers circulating graphic details of the stabbings via WhatsApp.

Additional probes have also been launched into Leicestershire Police, who were the other force with previous contact with Calocane.

The NHS will also be investigated over alleged failings in Calocane's mental health and the Crown Prosecution Service for its handling of the case.

Earlier this year, the both the Attorney General and Health Secretary confirmed a public inquiry would be carried out into the stabbings, with the victims families calling for it to be statutory and state-led.

Calocane pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility and was given an indefinite hospital order after the attacks but this was perceived by the Attorney General to be unduly lenient.

However, the Attorney General's attempts to have Calocane's sentence upgraded were quashed by the Court of Appeal.

In the families statement, Barnaby's mother stated: 'The agony we are forced to endure is unimaginable. No victims or families deserve to be treated like this. Change has to happen – those in senior roles who grossly fail, lie and/or make poor decisions that result in catastrophic outcomes must be held accountable.

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'Our message to those individuals in both police forces and also the Nottingham Mental Health trust is we will not stop until this has happened.

'Our serious concerns regarding the quality and culpability of reports and investigations mean our call for a full judge-led statutory public inquiry is the only possible outcome – without this, the truth will not come out. 

'We press our government to announce when this will start. Why can’t those who have not done jobs properly be honest and take the consequences?'

Chief Constable Meynell assumed her role in charge of Nottinghamshire Police in 2022 and has declined to comment on the probe.

An IOPC statement read: 'We are looking at the force’s decision to hold a non-reportable briefing for media in February. 

'Our inquiries include assessing the content of the briefing, the communication of that briefing to the families and whether it was conducted in line with relevant policies and procedures'.