May pledges review of custody deaths

An independent review into deaths and serious incidents in police custody will be announced by the Home secretary today.

Theresa May said it is too difficult for bereaved families to get answers and is determined to make this process easier.

Mrs May, whose announcement will be part of a speech on the relationship between the public and the police, is also concerned about the number of vulnerable people, including the elderly and the mentally ill, who spend time in cells.

some 196 people have died while in police custody or soon after since 2004-05. Another 438 are suspected of committing suicide within 48 hours of being detained by officers, according to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

Mrs May has spoken to the loved ones of several victims, including sean Rigg and Olaseni Lewis, who died after being restrained by officers in 2008 and 2010 respectively.

Campaigners will welcome the announcement as they have criticised ‘decades of indifference’ from previous governments about the battle faced by grieving families.

The inquiry will look at how serious incidents in police custody are handled, including how official investigations are run and what support is in place for families. It will also look at the availability of appropriate facilities for the mentally ill and the police’s use of restraint.

Mrs May has asked Inquest, a pressure group which has campaigned on deaths in police custody, to take a key role in the review.

A chairman will soon be announced. Mrs May said she was struck by both ‘the suffering of families’ and the ‘frustration’ of police officers at current procedures that cause ‘bureaucracy and delay’.