SUSSEX Police have apologised to the family of Shana Grice and said they may not have done “the very best” they could to protect her.

On the day of her death it was announced the force would be investigated by the police watchdog for how it handled reports she made to police about Michael Lane in the months leading up to her murder.

It is common practice for police to be questioned by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) when someone has been involved with police prior to their death. In this case the force reported itself for investigation due to the severity of the case.

After the verdict yesterday the IPCC said it was questioning 12 Sussex Police staff over the series of incidents.

Deputy Chief Constable Bernie O’Reilly said: “I would like to extend my sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Shana Grice, who was murdered by Michael Lane.

“When we looked at the circumstances leading to Shana’s murder, we felt we may not have done the very best we could. Within days of her murder I personally visited Shana’s family to apologise on behalf of Sussex Police and we made a referral to the IPCC.

“The referral was specifically in relation to how we dealt with incidents involving Shana leading up to her murder. Since then we have thoroughly reviewed all aspects of how we deal with cases of stalking and harassment and, working with partners, we have now taken on the learning and our approach is more robust.

“We are fully co-operating with the IPCC and until we receive their report we cannot comment further.”

An IPCC spokesman said it had already interviewed a number of witnesses in the investigation.

He said: “The IPCC is conducting an investigation into the contact between Shana Grice, Michael Lane and Sussex Police in the lead up to her death on 25 August, 2016.

“Investigators have interviewed a number of witnesses and upon completion of the ongoing murder trial will carry out additional interviews with police officers and staff identified as subjects in our investigation.

“The investigation has been assessing the circumstances surrounding all contact between Sussex Police, Shana Grice and Michael Lane in the lead-up to Ms Grice’s death. There are currently 12 employees of Sussex Police who have been identified as subjects in this investigation. The IPCC will not be naming them.”