A POLICE force has put itself forward to be scrutinised for its search for 'loveable' teenager Ellis Downes, after his family deemed its response to his disappearance as 'appalling'. 

Thames Valley Police this afternoon announced it has referred itself to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), a watchdog which oversees police complaints in England and Wales. 

Relatives of 16-year-old Ellis, who went missing after swimming in the River Thames in Culham on Saturday night, today demanded a public inquiry into the actions of police in the search for the teenager.

They were furious that divers from outside the area who volunteered to recover his body from the river on Monday were initially refused access by officers at the scene.

The Harwell teenager, who had been having a barbecue with friends off The Burycroft between Culham and Abingdon, got into difficulty at about 9pm after trying to swim back from the other side of the river.

Today assistant chief constable Nikki Ross said: “I can confirm that Thames Valley Police have referred themselves to the IPCC with respect to the handling of the recovery of Ellis.

"We are aware of the family and community concerns around our actions following this tragic incident and the referral was made this morning. I expect the IPCC to respond with a decision on how the IPCC wishes the investigation to be managed.”

Friends, relatives and strangers rallied round to help find the Abingdon and Witney College student spending hours combing through the riverbanks.

Yesterday police confirmed that a body, thought to be that of Ellis, had been found at around 11pm on Monday.

Andy McGill, spokesman for the IPCC, said: "We can confirm we have had the referral in relation to the incident and will be assessing that referral to determine the level of involvement we will have.

"It would be wrong to say we are investigating at the moment - we will make a decision either to carry out a full investigation or send it back to the force to look into itself."

The family said it was divers from private firm Surrey-based Specialist Group International who made the discovery after pressure on officers at the scene.

Peter Faulding, chief executive of the diving team, scrambled his team to the scene on Monday night after seeing Ellis' sister Alex's Facebook appeal for help.

But he said: "Police said they couldn’t prove our credentials. They rang up the National Crime Agency who confirmed who we were but they still wouldn’t let us in the water. They were wasting valuable time.

"There was very poor communication, it was unacceptable.

“I have never been so humiliated in all my life, turning up and being told to go away. I have 20 years of experience leading the field in forensic searches and never has that ever happened.

“I said to police there was a severe weather warning for heavy rain but they just used the excuse that the water was murky."

He said Ellis’s body was only about 16 metres from where he disappeared in six-metre deep water and added: “If divers had got there sooner it would have saved all this to-ing and fro-ing.”

Ellis’s 48-year-old uncle, Didcot resident Spencer Jefferies, said it was only after Ellis' father Darren threatened to jump in the river himself that divers were allowed in.

He said: “When the divers arrived we pressured the police for hours. Darren turned up and lost the plot, which you would do - he had had enough. He just wanted his boy out the water.

"It just didn’t seem like police were bothered. If it weren’t for those divers he would still be in there.”

Anthony Stansfeld, police and crime commissioner for Thames Valley, said: "My thoughts are with the family and friends of Ellis Downes at this tragic time.

"I have obvious concerns about the claims made regarding the actions and conduct of Thames Valley Police during the search. I have asked the Chief Constable for a full briefing outlining what decisions were made and why.

"Thames Valley Police has also referred itself to the Independent Police Complaints Commission with respect to the handling of the recovery of Ellis."

Ellis' sister Alex, 19, said on Monday that her brother was not a strong swimmer and that it was out of character for him to get into the water. She thanked members of the public who came down to offer support after claiming police presence was not adequate.

Family friend Sharon Russell, who lives in Harwell, described the response as 'appalling' and added: "The family has had to push and fight, to go back and keep ask for divers. They were just told Oxfordshire doesn’t have a dive crew anymore because of Government cuts."

She criticised the police's lack of emotional support, claiming that on Sunday Ellis's family were "sat together huddled and crying" without a liaison officer.

She said: “Darren and Emma, Ellis's parents, didn’t want to go down to the river. Darren had to go there in the end and was shouting at police ‘if you don’t let these divers in I will go in myself and look for him’.

Ellis, a former pupil of St Birinus School in Didcot, was completing a forestry course at Abingdon and Witney College and had ambitions to become a farmer.

Sister Alex, 19, wrote on Facebook: "My heart aches so badly it hurts, a massive part of it is missing. All I have now are the happy memories of the cheeky, loveable, handsome young man I was proud to call my brother, and I will cherish those memories forever.

Ellis's dad Darren posted: "Our world will never be the same again."

Flowers were placed by the riverside yesterday and a crowdfunding page was set up for Ellis's family, generating more than £3,000 worth of donations.

When we initially asked Thames Valley Police for a response to the issues they didn't answer any specific questions, saying: "An officer has been assigned to work closely with the family and provide support and guidance to help them at this difficult time."