An Independent Police Complaints Commission investigation has been launched to establish whether more could have been done to prevent the death of a toddler at the hands of a man with a "long history" of domestic violence.
Darren Bennett, who had a previous conviction for assaulting a child, was jailed for life at Birmingham Crown Court in July last year after being found guilty of murdering his girlfriend's 18-month-old daughter.
Bennett, formerly from the Shard End area of the city, denied killing Jordan McGann, who suffered a fractured skull from a "catastrophic" blow to the head in August 2004.
The IPCC said it would be managing an investigation into the actions of West Midlands Police in the months preceding the murder.
John Crawley, IPCC Commissioner for the region, described the toddler's death as "an appalling tragedy".
Mr Crawley said senior investigator Malcolm Niblo would be working with officers from the force's Professional Standards Department to assess police contact with Bennett prior to Jordan's death.
The commissioner said: "Whilst the culpability for Jordan's death rests fairly and squarely with Darren Bennett, my duty now will be considering whether West Midlands Police could have done more.
"I am keen to ensure that this investigation covers not just the consideration of any culpability of individual officers directly involved, but every aspect of the circumstances preceding Jordan's death, including the role and effectiveness of the force's child protection teams and procedures, to ensure that organisational learning is not just identified but followed through."
Bennett, who was convicted and jailed for three years in 2002 for assaulting an exgirlfriend's three-year-old daughter, was also found guilty of three counts of child cruelty on three young children, including Jordan.
His girlfriend at the time of the murder, Jordan's mother Sarah Collins, who was then aged 25, was cleared of her daughter's manslaughter during the trial on the directions of the judge.
She later admitted two counts of child cruelty and was jailed for 18 months.
