Britain: Inexperience, dishonesty and serious failures by police allowed Britain's worst serial killer, Harold Shipman, to continue his killing spree undetected, an official inquiry ruled yesterday.
It also recommended wholesale changes in Britain's system of death certification and coroners' investigations as a result of the Shipman case.
Shipman, a family doctor nicknamed "Dr Death", was convicted in 2000 of murdering 15 of his patients and sentenced to life in prison. An inquiry later ruled that he had murdered at least 215 of his patients with heroin injections.
His motives remain a mystery and he has never confessed to any murder.
Dame Janet Smith, the judge conducting the latest inquiry, said two police officers at the head of the investigation were "inexperienced" and "not fit for the case".
The lives of three of Shipman's victims "would probably have been saved" if police had acted properly, she said in a report.
She singled out for blame Chief Supt David Sykes and Det Insp David Smith, both of Greater Manchester Police.
Supt Sykes had "failed to recognise" that Insp Smith was "out of his depth". Insp Smith misled colleagues, sought to blame others for his own failures and lied to the inquiry, she said.
Insp Smith also "never understood the issues, never had a plan of action, had no one to help him analyse the information he received, had no one to make suggestions as to the information he should seek . . . and was allowed to close the investigation before it was complete," she added.
British Home Secretary Mr David Blunkett said the police failures were extremely serious.
Greater Manchester Police admitted that "mistakes were made" and offered their "sincere apologies . . . to the families of the three women who later died." They said changes had already been made to working practices. - (PA)