Police custody deaths reach their highest number in a decade
TWENTY-THREE PEOPLE died in or following police custody last year – the highest number for a decade.
Figures from the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) show there were nine more police custody deaths in 2017/18 than the previous year.
Last year, those who died included eight people who were taken ill in a police cell. One was a pregnant woman who was under the influence of alcohol but had been found fit to be detained; and another a man who had earlier been restrained using a spit hood and leg straps.
Nine of those who died were taken ill at the scene of their arrest, four became unwell in a police vehicle and two died following release.
IOPC director-general Michael Lockwood said the rise in deaths was “concerning”.
He said: “What is clear is that many present a complex and challenging set of factors, with links to drugs and alcohol and mental health concerns being very prevalent among those who have died.”
Seventeen people who died had been restrained or had force used against them by police or others, but the use of force did not necessarily contribute to their deaths.
Twelve of the 23 people who died in 2017/18 had mental health concerns, while 18 were users of drugs or alcohol.
North Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner Julia Mulligan, speaking on behalf of the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, said forces have concerns about mental health and drug support services in some areas. “Police and Crime Commissioners have longed campaigned for people with health problems to be dealt with effectively by the health service, and although we welcome recent changes in legislation that make police custody very firmly the exception, we do have concerns about provision in some areas. The same is true for substance misuse support services,” she said.
Two of the deaths were in Yorkshire. Bradford woman Claire Harper, 41, died in January after being detained by West Yorkshire Police at Trafalgar House Police Station, Bradford.
Another death, involving a man recently released from police custody, was in North Yorkshire.
Officials have not yet identified the man. Investigations into both deaths are ongoing. Both forces said the welfare of the people they came into contact with was a high priority.