Lessons must be learned after a man died following a campaign of intimidation and anti-social behaviour against his family, an investigation has found.

While a probe by the IPCC did not find any evidence that individual officers had committed crimes or breached standards of professional behaviour in relation to the death of David Askew in March last year, the investigation discovered “higher level systemic failures” in Greater Manchester Police procedures.

Mr Askew (64) collapsed in the garden of his Hattersley home after youths reportedly tampered with his mother’s mobility scooter and threw a wheelie bin around. It was later discovered that the family had suffered nearly 90 incidents of harassment and anti-social behaviour dating back six years.

During the IPCC probe, investigators carried out interviews with Mr Askew’s mother, senior police officers and the local Neighbourhood Policing Team. They also studied an internal review conducted by the Force as part of a Serious Case Review.

Thy found incidents had been dealt with locally and had never been escalated to a more strategic level. The probe discovered there had been a lack of consistent identification of and response to the vulnerability factors affecting the Askew family, as well as a “total failure” to recognise and respond to the incidents as hate crime.

There had also been an apparent lack of coordination and cohesive action between the partner agencies matched with a lack of robust offender management.

IPCC Commissioner Naseem Malik admitted that anti-social behaviour could sometimes pass beneath the radar of police. But she added: “For the families experiencing such crime it can be a horrific experience. The Askew family had experienced years of torment at the hands of youths who targeted David in particular.

“It is acknowledged that since 2007 there was an escalation in efforts by the Neighbourhood Policing Team to assist. They showed genuine concern and in some cases they went beyond the call of duty by giving up their free time to assist the family.

“However, their hands were tied by organisational shortcomings and the failure to recognise that the matter needed a higher level strategic approach.”

Ms Malik added that the Askew family perceived the police team as assisting them and providing comfort. But she added: “They were actually being failed at a higher level as opportunities to implement a coordinated approach to tackle and deal with the problems was being missed.”

She concluded: “GMP have recognised the failings and have proactively undertaken work, coupled with the IPCC's investigation, to learn lessons. Strategies and structures are now in place to tackle anti-social behaviour including the identification of vulnerability, repeat victimisation and offender management.”