OFFICERS from Cheshire Constabulary have been criticised by the Independent Police Complaints Commission for the way they handled a 999 call about a suicide.

Duane Syers, 20, was found hanging in woods near Warrington last July, but an IPCC report has revealed that a number of mistakes were made when deploying officers to the scene.

Police had received an emergency call from a man, allegedly sounding drunk, who told staff in the police control room that another male was about to ‘string himself up’.

The report concluded that officers on the ground were given an incorrect address and were not advised that Mr Syers was attaching a rope to a tree.

It also states that a dog unit was diverted away from the location after police received reports of a prowler nearby.

A sergeant was also criticised for his ‘failure to not adequately supervise the incident’.

As a result of the IPCC report, officers have since been given verbal guidance, including a review of how to handle emergency 999 calls made by the public.