Hampshire Constabulary’s response to a suspected murder in Ryde, which is claimed to have been delayed and ‘not taken seriously’, has been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).
As first reported by Island Echo, a murder investigation has been launched following the discovery of a man’s body at a flat on George Street, Ryde yesterday afternoon (Tuesday).
It is claimed that concerns were raised with Police during the early hours of Tuesday morning but that they were ‘not taken seriously’, as exclusively revealed by Island Echo earlier today.
A large scale response to the address where the body of a male in his 30s was found did not occur until around 13:30 that afternoon, suggesting that there was some element of a delay.
Hampshire Constabulary has now confirmed that they first attended the address at 02:50 on Tuesday morning – some 11 hours prior to the emergency response that led to the area being cordoned off.
An appeal for witnesses is seeking to speak to those who may have seen anything on Monday night into Tuesday morning.
A spokesperson for the force has tonight said:
“The circumstances surrounding our response to this incident have been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).
“We can confirm that police attended the address in George Street, Ryde, at approximately 2.50am on Tuesday 4 January.”
Detectives continue to quiz a 38-year-old man on suspicion of murder. He remains in custody at this moment in time.
Read more on the murder investigation here: islandecho.co.uk/murder-investigation-launched-as-30-year-old-man-killed-in-ryde
