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The Droitwich boy's grandfather, Paul, said 'if the police had done their jobs, he wouldn't have died'.

A report from the Independent Office for Police Conduct, reflecting on the actions of West Mercia Police, and how they responded to concerns raised by neighbours and social workers, said the force didn't train frontline officers sufficiently enough in order to identify child abuse.

They also say the report examined 20 separate incidents where the force had interactions with Alfie, between 2018 and 2021, and each time a different officer or PSCO attended Alfie's house. Each time, Alfie was never spoken to on his own.

It also says there was a climate of fear within the family home, which led to Alfie being in bed, allegedly sleeping, during the many times the police were called, meaning his mum often answered questions on his behalf, and Alfie's voice was never heard by police.

Since that investigation started, West Mercia Police has given extra training to hundreds of their officers.

Tom Edwards reports.

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