The Police Ombudsman has called for a new policy to be introduced between the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS), following the death of 19-year-old Shannon McQuillan in County Antrim in 2018.

Shannon and her 21-year-old boyfriend, Owen McFerran, were hit by a van after being left at a bus shelter on the Moneynick Road in Magherafelt in the early hours of 20 January. Mr McFerran survived with life-changing injuries. The couple had earlier been in contact with PSNI officers and NIAS personnel, having been found intoxicated at around 2am in a car park. Ms McQuillan had fallen several times and was unconscious when first found.

After police contacted Ms McQuillan's mother to say the pair were being taken to Antrim Area Hospital, they were placed in the care of two ambulance staff. However, the police were called back when Ms McQuillan became erratic. A decision was made to follow the ambulance to ensure it proceeded to hospital, but it later pulled over on the Moneynick Road where staff again requested police assistance.

Three police officers attended, and after discussions with ambulance staff, the couple were left alone at the roadside. At 3.38am, police received reports of two people walking in the middle of the road, and two minutes later, a van driver reported he had struck them. Ms McQuillan was pronounced dead at the scene.

A Police Ombudsman investigation found multiple failings in the duty of care shown by officers. Two of the three officers who attended the scene had body-worn cameras but failed to activate them. The officers also did not access police systems that could have flagged Ms McQuillan as vulnerable to self-harm. Despite visible injuries and her earlier unconsciousness, the couple were left in a dangerous situation.

One officer stated he was satisfied to leave them at the shelter based on the understanding that ambulance staff had said no hospital treatment was needed, and arrangements were being made for a lift home. However, NIAS staff told investigators they had stopped because Ms McQuillan became aggressive and tried to harm herself. These accounts were not communicated clearly between services. The Ombudsman concluded communication between police and ambulance staff was "wholly inadequate". This prompted a separate PSNI investigation into the conduct of NIAS personnel, though the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) decided not to bring charges against them or the officers involved. Ms McQuillan's family requested a review, but the PPS upheld its decision in 2021.

Subsequent PSNI misconduct proceedings found that the conduct of two of the three officers who had attended the ambulance amounted to gross misconduct. One was dismissed from the PSNI, the other was given a written warning. The dismissal was set aside on appeal, but the officer passed away before a new hearing could be held. 

The third officer was disciplined for failing to submit and retain her own original signed statement about the incident, while another officer who amended the statement and failed to ensure that the original was kept, was given advice to improve her conduct. 

The Ombudsman has now recommended a new policy to guide how police and ambulance staff handle intoxicated individuals who refuse treatment. The PSNI confirmed that its 'Right Care, Right Person' programme is currently in development.

The Police Ombudsman's Chief Executive, Hugh Hume, said: "More should have been done in this case to protect the extremely vulnerable young woman and man from harm. The police response was wholly inadequate, and a Police Misconduct Panel supported the Ombudsman's evidence that there had been a failure of professional duty. 

"Safeguarding vulnerable people in an operational environment is an important and frequent role for first responders. Ineffective or ill-informed decisions can, as in this case, have dreadful and far-reaching consequences. It is therefore essential that Police Officers and all front-line partners work together smoothly and efficiently to minimise the risk to those whose judgement and health appears impaired. 

"This tragic case therefore demonstrates the absolute need for effective and well understood joint protocols between the PSNI and the NIAS to deal with such circumstances. Frontline staff must recognise their collective professional duty of care, and they should be supported in their responsibilities by agreed inter-agency professional practice."

In response to the Ombudsman's report, Assistant Chief Constable Anthony McNally said: "We accept that more could and should have been done by police to prevent the circumstances that preceded Shannon’s death and Owen's injuries. For that we are truly sorry.

"We will now take further time to carefully consider the Ombudsman's report and assure ourselves that lessons have been learnt particularly around the identification of vulnerability, risk assessment and adherence to service policy."

Photo credit: Facebook.