IOPC Investigation into GMP Officers' Conduct After Oldham Fire Deaths
Summary
The UK's Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has concluded its investigation into three Greater Manchester Police (GMP) officers following the deaths of four men in an Oldham fire. While no misconduct was found for two officers, a senior officer's actions were deemed gross incompetence for failing to disclose information, though not gross misconduct. Another officer will undergo reflective practice.
What changed
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has released findings regarding an investigation into three Greater Manchester Police (GMP) officers' conduct concerning information handling after a fire at Bismark House Mill in Oldham, which resulted in the deaths of four Vietnamese men. The investigation concluded in April 2024, and its findings are being reported following the conclusion of an inquest on March 20, 2026. The IOPC found no case to answer for misconduct for two officers. However, the actions of a senior officer were found to amount to gross incompetence for failing to disclose information received about concerns for a Vietnamese man reportedly staying at the mill. Another officer will undergo reflective practice for their handling of this information.
While no formal misconduct charges were brought against the senior officer, the finding of gross incompetence highlights a significant failure in information disclosure protocols within GMP. The IOPC's investigation, which began in September 2022 following a referral from GMP, aimed to understand how officers handled potentially crucial information received two months after the fire. The findings were shared with the Coroner to inform the inquest. Regulated entities, particularly those in law enforcement or with public safety responsibilities, should review their internal information-sharing and disclosure policies to prevent similar lapses. While no specific compliance deadline is mentioned, this case underscores the importance of robust internal oversight and adherence to professional standards.
What to do next
- Review internal policies for information disclosure and handling of sensitive information.
- Ensure all officers understand and adhere to professional standards regarding disclosure of welfare concerns.
Penalties
One senior officer's actions amounted to gross incompetence. Another officer will undergo reflective practice.
Source document (simplified)
IOPC update following conclusion of inquest into the death of four Vietnamese men in Oldham fire
Published: 20 Mar 2026 News The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has released the findings of its investigation into the conduct of three Greater Manchester Police (GMP) officers over their handling of information relating to a major fire in Oldham that resulted in the deaths of four Vietnamese men.
The partial remains of Uoc Van Nguyen, Cuong Van Chu, Duong Van Nguyen and Nam Thanh Lee were recovered from Bismark House Mill in Bower Street following the fire in May 2022.
An inquest which concluded today (20 March) at Manchester Coroner’s Court, determined the four men, died as a result of the fire. Following the conclusion of the inquest, we can now report the findings of our independent investigation which concluded in April 2024.
We can now confirm that, following a thorough investigation, we found no case to answer for misconduct for the three officers under investigation. We found the actions of a senior officer amounted to gross incompetence, for failing to disclose information they had received about concern for the welfare of a Vietnamese man who had reportedly been staying at the mill.
Another officer also underwent reflective practice for their handling of this information once they were made aware of it.
IOPC Director Amanda Rowe said:
“Our thoughts remain with all the families and friends of the four men who lost their lives, as well as all those affected by these tragic circumstances.
“Loved ones will have spent a long period of time with unanswered questions. I don’t underestimate how difficult this time has been for them, and I would again, like to extend my deepest sympathies.
“Our investigation was independent of the police and allowed us to better understand how officers handled potentially crucial information about one of the victims.
“Evidence gathered during our investigation was shared with the Coroner to help inform the inquest into the deaths, hopefully helping to answer any outstanding questions the families may have had.”
We began our investigation following a referral from the force in September 2022 after it became aware of information received in July 2022, two months after the fire.
In the early hours of 7 May 2022, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) requested police assistance in response to the fire at the derelict mill. The building was considered too dangerous to enter and search.
Two weeks later, on 21 May, GMP received information from the Vietnamese Catholic Chaplaincy in London, about a request for information from the family of Uoc Van Nguyen, who said he had been staying at the “fire house”.
Our investigation found that in the following days, further information was passed on and a senior GMP officer asked two other officers to “review” it. The Vietnamese Catholic Chaplaincy was advised that the man was not known to police and that the fire service believed nobody was in the warehouse at the time of the fire.
Two months later, on 23 July, demolition workers found human remains at the site of the fire and the following day. GMP declared a major and critical incident with a strategic co-ordination group strategy put in place with dedicated force specialist resources deployed.
We found that the senior officer attended meetings on 25 July, 27 July and 18 August in which they did not disclose information that was received from the GMP Chaplaincy regarding concerns for a young Vietnamese man.
We accepted that the senior officer – who we investigated for potential gross misconduct – did not intentionally deceive colleagues. As a result, we found no case to answer in relation to their conduct, but their actions amounted to gross incompetence.
Two officers were also served with a notice for informing them they were under investigation for a potential breach of professional standards that could amount to misconduct for their actions after being asked by the senior officer to review the information.
We found minimum checks were carried out and lines of inquiry were missed. We did not consider this met the threshold for misconduct but one of the officers underwent reflective practice to improve their performance in future.
Tags
- Greater Manchester Police
- Death and serious injury
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