Police custody deaths hit highest level for ten years

DEATHS in police custody have risen to the highest number for a decade, figures reveal.

Twenty-three people died after being arrested in England and Wales in 2017-18, the police watchdog reported.

This was nine more deaths in or following custody than the previous year.

The rise will be of concern to ministers. While home secretary, Theresa May met with families to hear their concerns.

Of the 23 who died in custody, three died in a police cell, while five died in hospital after becoming unwell in custody.

Another nine were taken ill at the scene of arrest, four became unwell in a police vehicle and two died following release.

Twelve had mental health concerns, while 18 had ‘links to drugs and/or alcohol’, said the report by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

Seventeen had been restrained or had force used against them by police or others, although this did not necessarily contribute to the deaths, the IOPC said. Of these, nine were white and eight were black.

IOPC director-general Michael Lockwood said: ‘The rise in deaths in police custody this year ... is concerning viewed against a trend of falling numbers over

‘Indictment of failing systems’

the last decade ... The issues go wider than the police service, as officers can often be dealing with vulnerable people whose needs and risks may not have been adequately managed elsewhere.’ He added it was important that, when involved in such cases, officers are ‘properly trained’ and ‘learn from their past mistakes’.

Julia Mulligan, of the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, said forces have ‘concerns’ about mental health and drug support services in some areas.

The report also said 57 people apparently took their own lives following police custody. Of these, 29 had been arrested for an alleged sexual offence.

There were also 29 road traffic deaths, of which 17 of which were related to police pursuits. The IOPC investigated 170 other deaths following police contact, up from 132 the previous year, which the watchdog said reflected an increase in the number of investigations rather than deaths.

Deborah Coles of Inquest, which helps bereaved families, said: ‘These figures, the highest for over a decade, are an indictment of the failing systems of investigation, learning and accountability which follow police related deaths.’