West Midlands Police apologises for failing to protect mother and daughter from abusive killer
West Midlands Police has apologised to the family of a mother and daughter who were murdered by the same man for for failing to them from their killer.
Janbaz Tarin, 25, knifed his wife Raneem, 22, and her mother Khaola Saleem, 49, outside Mrs Saleem’s home in Northdown Road, Solihull, shortly after midnight on August 27 2018.
The inquest concluded that West Midlands Police was to blame for failings as it emerged that Raneem called the force seven times before the fatal attack.
Tarin was subsequently jailed for life with a minimum term of 32 years after admitting the ‘brutal’ murders.
Assistant Chief Constable Andy Hill said: “The murders of Raneem Oudeh and her mother Khaola Saleem in 2018 are among the most shocking and appalling crimes in our region in recent years.
“On behalf of West Midlands Police, I would like to apologise to Raneem and Khaola’s family – we should have done more. Their dignity throughout the inquest has been humbling.
“More could have been done to protect Raneem from the campaign of domestic abuse that she suffered in the months leading up to her death at the hands of the man who would go on to kill her and her mother.
“The events leading up to this awful tragedy have rightly been examined in detail in the inquest and by other organisations to ensure that lessons can be learned and to give the families the answers they deserve.
“It is clear that we should have done more to join-up the incidents of abuse that were being reported to us so that the officers considering Raneem’s case had a full picture of the ordeal that Raneem was enduring at the hands of Janbaz Tarin.
“The seriousness and pattern of abuse should have been better recognised, the risk posed by Mr Tarin should have been better assessed and the crimes that were being committed should have been better identified and investigated, with action taken against Mr Tarin.
“We should have done more to safeguard Raneem, by considering appropriate interventions such as a domestic violence protection order or a referral to the Sanctuary Scheme, which could have made her home a safer place.
“We are continually striving to improve our response to domestic abuse. A number of key changes have already been made since the murders of Raneem and Khaola, including increasing the number of staff specifically investigating domestic abuse offences and the creation of a new team to review investigations.
"A scrutiny panel has also been formed to review decisions and give their independent professional assessment. More training has been provided to frontline officers to help them better understand key concepts of domestic abuse. We recognise, however, that more needs to be done. We will continue to learn from the tragic events at the heart of this inquest.
“Of course, none of this will undo the devastation that the murders of Raneem and Khaola caused to their family.
“Above all, our thoughts are with them today and again I offer our apologies.”
Nour Norris, Ms Saleem’s sister and Ms Oudeh’s aunt, told reporters that they want to see “culture change at all levels of policing” following the conclusion of an inquest into the women’s deaths at Birmingham and Solihull Coroner’s Court.
Speaking outside the court afterwards, Ms Norris said: “The failure of the West Midlands Police has lead to the death of our beloved sister Khowla and her daughter Raneem.
“Both were murdered at the hands of the ex-husband of Raneem after a history of domestic abuse, coercive control and stalking – all of which police were aware of at the time.
“West Midlands Police have failed Khowla and Raneem beyond imagination. They had so many opportunities to save their lives right up until the end. Both were murdered while on the phone to police begging for help.”
