Mental health campaigners blame system for Costessey deaths

A civilian member of staff has been suspended and may face disciplinary action over their handling of the tragedy which saw four family members killed at a house in Costessey.

Bartlomiej Kuczynski, 45, was found dead in a house in Allan Bedford Crescent, Queens Hill, in January - along with his two young daughters and their aunt.

Police are treating the incident as a triple murder, with Kuczynski believed to have killed daughters Jasmin and Natasha, 12 and eight, and their aunt Kanticha Sukpengpanao, 36, before taking his own life.

Bartlomiej Kuczynski is believed to have taken his own life after killing his two daughters and their aunt (Image: Facebook)

Kuczynski, who had a history of mental health problems, made a 999 call in a distressed state beforehand but police did not attend until another member of the public raised the alarm.

The four deaths came weeks before Norfolk Constabulary was due to roll out a new policy called Right Care, Right Person (RCRP), which would mean officers not routinely attending mental health calls unless the situation was life-threatening, to free up resources.

In February, the force's Assistant Chief Constable Nick Davison said the change had been put on hold.

He said: “Given some of the concerns, it is only right we postpone the roll-out to allow for a short period of consolidation to give us extra time to provide additional information and reassurance to the public and the wider health and social care system."

Jasmin Kuczynska, 12, and Natasha Kuczynska, 8, were found dead at a home in Costessey (Image: Facebook)

The Campaign to Save Mental Health Services in Norfolk and Suffolk said it had previously raised concerns about RCRP, fearing tragedies like the Costessey deaths could become more frequent in the region if went ahead.

In a statement following the suspension, the group said: "The new concern following this family tragedy in Costessey, is that after a referral was made to the police watchdog, an individual staff member has now been served a conduct notice.

"We don’t believe that it should automatically be the responsibility of the frontline to face disciplinary actions for situations like this, but rather those who pull the strings in regards to the implementation of strategies and reforms that could put the most vulnerable at risk, like RCRP.

"Should this rollout take place in Norfolk, many more civilian police staff will be put in a position of making complex triaging decisions, with no mental health services to safety net or respond to those critical decisions."

Kanticha Sukpengpanao, who was found dead at the family home in Costessey (Image: Facebook)

The campaign group - which has been calling for a public inquiry into long-standing problems at the Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust - said questions remained over the incident.

"Whilst we recognise that these deaths may not have been linked with RCRP, our concerns remain the same," it continued.

"Norfolk and Suffolk citizens are burdened by the longstanding worst mental health services in the country, not to mention the lack of social care and local services, which is why the campaign has not urged for RCRP to be paused, but a complete halt of its implementation in this area.

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"Should this rollout continue, as the Police and Crime Commissioner has previously stated, more incidents like Costessey will take place."

Flowers left outside the property following the deaths of a man, a woman and two children inside (Image: PA)

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) launched an investigation into the incident after Norfolk Constabulary referred itself to the watchdog.

READ MORE: Campaigners take calls for police probe into thousands of deaths to Westminster

The force confirmed a staff member had been suspended on Friday.

A spokesman said: "We are aware of the process involving the member of police staff but cannot offer comment on specific details given the IOPC is carrying out the independent investigation.

"The constabulary continues to cooperate with the IOPC and can confirm the staff member has been suspended while the investigation establishes the facts."