Inquiry into police handling of 111 call before patient's death

Photo / Martin Sykes

The handling of a 111 emergency call made to police shortly before a woman was found dead in her home is being referred to the Independent Police Complaints Authority.

A woman twice called a mental health centre for help when one of its patients came to her home threatening to harm a neighbour.

But she says her calls were ignored - and not long after, 53-year-old Diane Elizabeth White was dead.

Waikato District Commander, Superintendent Allan Boreham said he was satisfied with the way police responded to the call.

However, the woman told the Herald she was frightened by her friend's erratic behaviour when she arrived at her house.

She said the Henry Rongomau Bennett centre - a Waikato Hospital mental health facility at which her friend is understood to have been a patient - failed to help so she called the police.

Waikato DHB chief executive Craig Climo said the centre responded appropriately.

"No-one's calls - to us - were ignored," said Mr Climo in a written statement this afternoon.

The woman, who asked not to be named, feared for her safety and that of her 15-month-old grandchild when her friend told her she had run away from the centre.

"I called Henry Bennett [centre] and asked if they had an escaped patient ... a few seconds later they said 'yes, she's missing'.

"I said 'well she's here in our house right now acting strangely ... can you get the police here?'

"I called them back again a bit later and said 'she's still here and there's no police' and the woman said 'well if you feel in danger, maybe you should call the police'."

The woman dialled 111 for help as her friend left and allegedly went to Ms White's house.

She returned about 10 minutes later with blood on her face.

"I couldn't look ... she was trying to get in to our house, but the place was locked and there was no way I was letting her in.

"I called the centre back. I wanted them to know that I tried to talk with them twice and now look at what has happened ... they didn't even know she was missing until I called them."

Mr Boreham said police received three emergency calls through the Northern Communications Centre over an 80-minute period in relation to a risk posed by a woman who had fled hospital care and threatened her neighbour.

Last night he would not say what steps the police took after the initial call.

However in a written statement this morning, Mr Boreham said a senior investigator from outside the Waikato police district would be called in to review the response from police.

"I am aware there is an ongoing investigation and we remain limited in what can be said as these matters are before the courts and nor should I pre-judge the findings and recommendations of the independent investigation," Mr Boreham said.

Waikato District Health Board spokeswoman Mary Anne Gill would not answer Herald questions yesterday, but said the board was co-operating with police and was treating the incident as serious.

Mr Climo said he was unable to answer many media questions because of the ongoing court case.

"We can say there are standard procedures we follow at Waikato DHB when there is an event which impacts on our patients, our services or our staff. In this case an incident management team was put in place immediately we were advised by the police," Mr Climo said.

Dairy owner Ajit Farrar and his wife Kamiljit said Ms White would visit them almost daily to buy milk and cigarettes, and food for her four cats.

* A 40-year-old woman appeared in Hamilton District Court yesterday charged with murder. She was granted name suppression and was remanded in custody at the Henry Bennett Centre. She is to re-appear in Hamilton District Court on February 3.