Response to findings in Livingstone case

Southern District Police accept the findings of the coroner in the deaths of Ellen, Bradley and Edward Livingstone at an address in Kiwi Street, Dunedin on 15 January 2015.

As outlined during the inquest, Police identified a number of issues in the weeks and months following the deaths in this case.

A review of these issues has resulted in a number of changes in practice implemented across the Southern District.

Since the pertinent events in this case, Southern District has established within its Criminal Investigations Branch (CIB) a dedicated Adult Sexual Assault and Child Protection Team (ASA/CPT) that specialises in the handling of cases relating to adult sexual assaults and child protection.

The district has also ensured that CIB and frontline uniform responders have received appropriate training in the handling of ASA complaints and cases.

Police acknowledges the recommendations made by the coroner as a result of the hearing.

The Police National Intelligence Application (NIA) provides the facility for officers to enter and view information about family violence occurrences, including in relation to the individual offenders and victims involved.

It is regrettable in this case that this facility was not used to the extent it ought to have been when officers became aware of certain events during the case.

This was covered as one of the issues in the reviews following the case and officers have had this function and the necessity to record all family violence related events re-confirmed.

Police, along with partner agencies involved in the Family Violence Inter-agency Response System (FVIARS), have reviewed the structure and planning behind these regular meetings and have implemented a new system.

This includes the distribution of cases before a meeting so each agency has the opportunity to search their databases to assess and then flag risks on individual cases so relevant information is readily available during these meetings.

Southern District Commander, Superintendent Andrew Coster, acknowledged the courage demonstrated by Katharine Webb, Bradley and Ellen’s mother, during the inquest and associated processes.

“We extend our utmost sympathy to Katharine for her loss in this situation and thank her willingness to engage constructively with Police following this tragic incident."

ENDS

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