Suspect set fire to himself in van

Report calls for better searching and procedures

An Angus man set himself on fire in the back of a police van in a shocking incident which has seen Police Scotland rapped over the transport of arrestees.

The 42-year-old was searched three times following an Arbroath disturbance in which it was thought he had a knife.

Police missed a lighter hidden in the handcuffed man’s tracksuit bottoms, and he set his clothing on fire on the way to Dundee police headquarters.

He suffered a serious arm injury and had to be taken to Ninewells Hospital.

The Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (PIRC) has called for a tightening of monitoring of people being transported in custody after an inquiry also revealed the officer responsible for looking after the man was facing away during the journey.

A special constable saw the man had an item, thought to be a lighter, when he was put in the cell cage of a van during the February 15 incident but, despite three searches, it was not found.

A report by PIRC found the man had on tracksuit bottoms, with a pocket next to the knee, beneath his trousers.

It said the man was never directly asked if he had a lighter, or taken out of the confined cell cage to be searched.

The findings added that the “van was fitted with a passenger seat facing back towards the cell cage, but the officer responsible for monitoring the man sat in one of the front forward seats”.

Once discharged from hospital, the man was released on bail with a home curfew order. He appeared in court and was convicted in relation to the matter.

The report called for a review of procedures for the care and welfare of people in custody, particularly in the monitoring of someone in a “cage van”.

It said Police Scotland have since confirmed officers have been given guidance on the importance of carrying out effective and diligent searches.

Advice on the risks of handcuffing a person at their front was also issued.