A student police officer took his own life following "bullying and institutional racism" from colleagues, his family has claimed.
Anugrah Abraham, from Bury, went missing after having breakfast with his parents on March 3. He was found dead in woodland near to his home the next day.
The 21-year old - described by loved ones as a "gentle giant" - was a student at Leeds Trinity University and was training with West Yorkshire Police at the time of his death.
But his family said the treatment he received while on placement with the force as part of his three-year apprenticeship degree caused him "severe stress and anxiety". They said he had previously been a "carefree, happy young man".
In a statement they said: "Our family want to make clear that we feel that the harm Anu experienced at the hands of the police, killed him."
Anugrah, known by his family as Anu, was posted at Halifax Police Station from October 2022, and his family said he was initially excited. However, they said things 'quickly turned sour' within weeks of Anu starting the placement.
Anu's family claim he was left "traumatised" by one incident in which he was instructed to carry out a search of a dead body alone, which made him vomit, and was given no support of debrief. They claim Anu was regularly sent out on incidents alone, which he did not feel prepared for, and ended up breaking down in front of a sergeant.
Anu's family have asked the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) to investigate his treatment, supported by Kids of Colour and the Northern Police Monitoring Project. They have been told a local investigation by the West Yorkshire Police professional standards department will be conducted.
He continued to experience bullying and received a lack of support when he told sergeants and his personal tutor at university that he was struggling, Anu's family said. They said he shared that he was experiencing regular nightmares and suicidal thoughts.
"We are no longer prepared to continue to allow our children to be at the mercy of an institution that does not value their lives," the family said. "We will not grieve silently and allow those that caused Anu to take such a devastating action to walk away without being held accountable."
Anu was last seen around 3.30pm on March 3 by one of his best friends. He sent a text to a group chat with his friends at 5.30pm that day.
The family also raised concerns about the way they were treated by Greater Manchester Police after they reported Anu missing.
They allege they were treated differently by officers because of their race. When Anu’s car was found near woodland close to his home on the evening of 3 March, the family say police did not search the area as the woodland was "dangerous" and contained wild animals such as “hedgehogs”.
The family allege that police also refused to send a helicopter out to search for Anu because it was night time and 'people were sleeping'. Anu's body was found by a dog walker the next day.
His family say they were not allowed to see his body for three days, with police allegedly informing them that the mortuary was 'closed at the weekend'.
Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, a spokesperson for Anu's family said they had been left 'devastated' by his death.
Bury South MP Christian Wakeford raised Anu's case in the House of Commons on Monday (March 27) and called for greater support for trainee officers.
The Labour MP said: "I met Anu’s family on Friday, and they wanted to make it clear that they feel the harm and lack of support that Anu experienced at the hands of the police killed him.
"The family now want Anu’s death and the miscommunication that followed to be reviewed by the Independent Office for Police Conduct."
In response, Home Secretary Suella Braverman offered her 'deepest condolences and sympathies' to Anu's family and said she would be willing to arrange a meeting between them and a government minister or official.
A spokesperson for West Yorkshire Police said: "West Yorkshire Police was saddened to learn of the death of our colleague PC Anugrah Abraham and our thoughts and sympathies go out to his family and friends.
"West Yorkshire Police takes allegations of bullying and discrimination within the workforce very seriously and is committed to investigating such reports.
"The force has referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct who deemed it appropriate that a local investigation is undertaken. This is currently being conducted by the Professional Standards Directorate. We are unable to issue any further comment pending the completion of the investigation."
DCI Dave Jones, of GMP's Professional Standards Branch, said: "On behalf of Greater Manchester Police, I send the sincerest condolences to the loved ones of Anugrah following his death in March 2023.
"In line with normal procedure, the incident response was referred to GMP’s Professional Standards Branch and the Independent Office of Police Conduct for review. The conclusion was that GMP had not caused or contributed to Anugrah's death and that the force had responded appropriately to the missing person's report.
"The force has not received a complaint in relation to this case. As inquest proceedings remain active, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time."
A spokesperson for the IOPC added: "Following a referral from West Yorkshire Police of a complaint containing allegations of bullying, we directed the force to carry out an investigation.
"The complainant will have the right to have the force’s handling of the matter reviewed by the IOPC upon conclusion of the investigation, ensuring an appropriate level of independent oversight should it be required."
They added: "We received a mandatory referral from Greater Manchester Police following the death of a 22-year-old man, due to the fact he had been reporting missing the day before his body was found. Our thoughts are with his loved ones and all those affected by his death.
"Following a detailed assessment of the available information, we identified evidence of positive action taken by the force to locate the man upon being made aware he was missing. In light of this, and in the absence of any concern that police action may have caused or contributed to the man’s death, we determined an investigation was not required and returned the matter to GMP to deal with in a proportionate manner."
A Leeds Trinity University spokesperson said: “We are deeply saddened by the tragic death of Anugrah, who was completing his Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship with West Yorkshire Police and the University. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this extremely difficult time.
“We take our students’ welfare very seriously and offer a dedicated Student Support service seven days a week, with full information available on the myLTU platform. We will continue to work closely with our partners to support further enquiries into this tragic incident.”
Following Anu's death, his family has set up a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for the costs for his funeral and for any campaigning in the future. You can donate to the fundraiser here.
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