In Hill v Chief Constable of West Yorkshire (1987), the mother of Jacqueline Hill, a victim of the Yorkshire Ripper, sued the police for negligence, due to their failure to apprehend the murderer. The court ruled that the police owed a general duty to the public, not to individuals.
Duty of Care and Police Liability: The court concluded that the police have a general duty to enforce the law but do not owe a specific duty of care to individual members of the public, even in situations where police action might have prevented harm.