Police have apologised after a watchdog found officers did not thoroughly search the garage where a Shetlander was found dead a month after disappearing.
A relative found the body of Arnold Mouat, 64, in the roof space of the garage of his home in Bo’ness, near Falkirk, on August 5 last year. He was reported missing on July 7, the day after he was last seen.
An investigation by the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (Pirc) found police did not carry out a “full and systematic search” of the property and that it is “highly likely” police officers would have found Mr Mouat’s body if they had searched the property in Panbrae Road thoroughly.
Officers completed their search of the house, gardens, vehicle and garage in 40 minutes, spending five minutes searching the garage and gardens.
A post mortem examination found that Mr Mouat, who was originally from Shetland and had also lived in Aberdeen, had been dead for some time when his body was discovered, with the death not suspicious.
Pirc found that the “inadequate search procedure” led to a prolonged missing person inquiry which it said extended the “uncertainty and distress” for the entire family.
In a statement issued through Pirc, Mr Mouat’s family said: “The past eight months have been incredibly difficult for our family as we have tried to come to terms with the loss of a loving father and husband.
“We are aware of the Pirc report and note that a number of recommendations have been made. Going forward we hope that Police Scotland will look carefully at these recommendations and that valuable lessons have been learned.”
An internal review of the incident by Police Scotland acknowledged that a more extensive search should have been carried out and procedures have since been reviewed and officers reminded of the processes to follow during missing persons searches.
Pirc Commissioner Kate Frame said: “Clearly, if the police had carried out a thorough search of the garage area, then it is highly likely that they would have discovered Mr Mouat’s body, something acknowledged by Police Scotland’s own internal review.
“In light of this case, I have made several recommendations which I have shared with the Deputy Chief Constable to enable him to put measures in place and take corrective action to prevent such failings happening again.”
Police Scotland Chief Superintendent Matt Richards said: “I apologise on behalf of Police Scotland and once again offer my sincere condolences to the family and friends of Arnold Mouat.
“I fully accept the findings from the review and Police Scotland will continue to work with them to ensure all the lessons identified are addressed and built into our search procedures and protocols, much of which is already in place.”