You are in:
Report from the NW and North Wales Region
22 members and 9 visitors from HM Coastguard were privileged to hear two most informative presentations from Detective Superintendents Mike Gradwell and Steve Brunskill of the Lancashire Constabulary on the Morecambe Bay Cockling Bay Tragedy. Somewhat poignantly the event - which was held at the Liverpool Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre, Crosby - took place exactly three years from the date the incident was first reported on 6 February 2004. Mike dealt with the actual investigation and Steve covered the daunting task of identifying the victims.
BAPCO members were also able to see the systems in the Control Room at the Coastguard Co-ordination Centre. The Regional Co-ordinator, Susan Todd, and her colleagues demonstrated the new tracking system that records ships’ movements in the Mersey estuary and the Irish Sea. The Centre is situated right on the coast and currently overlooks the 100 cast-iron “Another Place” sea sculptures by Anthony Gormley which are spread over the beach and out to sea at Crosby Bay. (http://www.visitliverpool.com/site/product-p76741)
The Region is most grateful to Susan and her colleagues for hosting the visit as the Centre had a key co-ordination role in the incident.
The tragedy itself has been well reported in the media and it is not the intention of this report to repeat those details but rather to highlight some of the issues which came to light.
Mike Gradwell showed a video compilation to set the scene of what had occurred as the surging tide surrounded the Chinese cockle pickers in the darkness. He also played recordings of some of the “999” calls reporting what was happening. Perhaps the most haunting was from one of the victims and it amply illustrated the problems any call-taker would have when faced with someone in a panic who was unable to speak English. Another call from the girl friend of one of the gangmasters involved also indicated how difficult it can be to get accurate information on which to take action.
The two speakers were very frank and from a BAPCO viewpoint it was encouraging for us to hear confirmation that our current focus on the Civil Contingencies Act is so pertinent.
It is believed that 23 persons - mainly from the Fujian Province of South East China - perished in the incident but only 21 bodies have so far been recovered.
Mike paid tribute to the “fantastic effort” of all involved in the search and rescue operation.
Outlining some of the problems, he made particular reference to:
• The use of different abbreviations by the agencies involved.
• Questions had to be asked in English, translated into Mandarin and then into the local dialect.
• Cultural issues arose with terrified witnesses wishing to speak only to those people dictated by their culture
• Those rescued were mainly illegal immigrants and keeping track of them proved extremely difficult
• The lack of intelligence on the high-value cockling industry.
• The involvement of hidden communities in a cash-driven business.
• The primary crime scene was in Morecambe Bay but there were crime scenes elsewhere, both in this country and mainland Europe, as haulage companies etc. were involved.
• The interview of an English lorry driver in France had to be conducted according to French Law.
It is hoped that the reader will accept that problems do arise in incidents of this nature and that any critical comment made is not intended to apportion blame but to help us all improve the service we offer in the future.
The investigation generated 1.5 million pages of documentation: 175 computerised identity parades were conducted, 2866 statements were recorded, 5,152 mobile telephone records were checked and 6,342 exhibits were produced.
In describing the identification procedures, Steve referred to the problems experienced in interviewing the traumatised survivors and said:
• Many used false names or were only known to their fellow cockle-pickers by nickname.
• They were illegal immigrants in a country where their lack of good English also hampered them.
• In a similar vein their attitude to the Police was obviously coloured by their experiences in their homeland
To overcome some of the problems it was decided to deploy Family Liaison Officers to help build up the confidence of the survivors and relatives of the victims.
The media’s help in supplying information about missing people in this case was greatly appreciated.
Steve showed a presentation by a senior Chinese police officer:
• DNA was the most important factor in identifying the victims.
• Because of a lack of fingerprint records of many of the victims and the use of false names, no real reliance could be placed on that form of evidence.
• The absence of reliable dental records for the victims was also a handicap.
• Photographs of the deceased were not sent to China. Where possible, photographs were obtained from the Immigration Service and used instead.
• An added complication was that the victims were seen by parts of Chinese society as having brought disgrace on China.
Even after the visit of the senior Chinese police officer, three of the victims have still not been identified. Eight Lancashire police officers went to China to pursue their enquiries and to return property recovered to the victims’ relatives. It was not until November 2004 that the bodies of the victims were returned to China by air. On arrival in China, the Military then took them to the appropriate local areas.
Mike and Steve answered many questions from the audience and all who attended appreciated their endeavours and benefited from the experience.
It was generally agreed that successful outcomes to complex incidents of this nature depend on all agencies working together, sharing information during the operational phase. One specific area of concern is the need during the early stages of an incident to ensure that call-takers (of all agencies) are informed that an incident is taking place as calls could and do come into a variety of centres.
It was abundantly clear that all involved in this incident have shown a high level of professional commitment and been brave enough to acknowledge those areas where improvements can be made.
Jim Irving (Secretary)
David Stott (Chair)
BAPCO NORTH WEST AND NORTH WALES REGION
