Police Forces Apologize for Failing to Arrest Calocane Before Nottingham Killings
Two police forces have issued formal apologies to the bereaved families and survivors of the Nottingham attacks for failing to act on an arrest warrant for Valdo Calocane that was issued a full ten months before he committed the murders. The apologies were delivered during the second day of a public inquiry examining the events and systemic failures that allowed Calocane to remain free and ultimately kill three people in June 2023.
Missed Opportunities and Systemic Failures
Representatives from Nottinghamshire Police and Leicestershire Police both acknowledged significant operational failures during the inquiry hearings. John Beggs KC, representing Nottinghamshire Police, stated that the force accepted it should have executed the arrest warrant in a timely manner. Temporary Deputy Chief Constable Rob Griffin described the failure to act as a serious operational lapse that caused immense distress to the affected families.
Hugh Davies KC, representing three officers from Leicestershire Police, also apologized for recognized operational failures. These included officers not reviewing Calocane's previous police records when responding to an assault at a Kegworth factory in 2023. Had they accessed these records, they would have discovered the outstanding arrest warrant from September 2022.
Mental Health System Failures
The inquiry heard extensive testimony about failures within the mental health care system. NHS England and the specific NHS trust that cared for Calocane, who has paranoid schizophrenia, both apologized to the families for missed opportunities. The lawyer representing NHS England stated clearly that the NHS and the broader system had failed the victims with devastating consequences.
Adam Straw KC, representing Calocane's mother and brother, revealed there were glaring signs a year before the attacks that Calocane was experiencing a relapse in his schizophrenia. He had stopped taking his antipsychotic medication, yet healthcare officials made the disastrous decision to discharge him in late 2022. The family was not provided with a complete picture of his mental health condition or his history of violent behavior until after the Nottingham killings.
Families' Anguish and Legal Challenges
Tim Maloney KC, representing the bereaved families, delivered powerful statements condemning any attempt by police to suggest that arresting Calocane would have made no difference. He characterized such claims as cowardly, highly offensive, and insulting to both the families and the general public. Maloney emphasized that the Nottingham attacks represented the culmination of decades of unconscionable but predictable structural and systemic individual failures.
The families of Barnaby Webber, Grace O'Malley-Kumar, and Ian Coates continue to live with the horror of that day, as do the three survivors who suffered life-changing injuries. Sophie Cartwright KC, representing the survivors, noted that Wayne Birkett and Sharon Miller sustained appalling injuries, with Birkett repeatedly expressing that he wished his life had been taken instead of those who were killed.
Ongoing Inquiry and Broader Implications
The public inquiry continues to examine the sequence of events, acts, and omissions that allowed Calocane to be free to commit these violent acts. The inquiry has revealed a complex web of failures across multiple agencies, including law enforcement, healthcare providers, and the University of Nottingham. These revelations have raised serious questions about public safety protocols and the coordination between mental health services and law enforcement agencies.
As the inquiry progresses, it seeks to provide answers to the grieving families while identifying systemic improvements that could prevent similar tragedies in the future. The apologies from police and health authorities, while significant, represent only the beginning of a long process toward accountability and reform.
