Number of deaths linked to police custody ‘extremely concerning’

The number of people dying in or after police custody in England and Wales has been described as “extremely concerning” as figures show more than half had mental health problems.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said 24 people died while being held by police or afterwards in 2023/24, of whom 19 had “mental health concerns”.

This included “depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, paranoid schizophrenia, personality disorder” and a history of self-harm, and one person had been detained under the Mental Health Act.

According to the IOPC, the mental health figure compares with 12 out of 19 deaths in 2020/21. This dropped to six out of 11 in 2021/22 but then reached 13 out of 23 in 2022/23.

Of the 24 deaths recorded in the latest period, 21 were known to have links to alcohol and/or drugs or were intoxicated or in possession of substances at the time of their arrest, the police regulator said.

A report setting out the annual statistics, published on Thursday, also said: “This year, one person died after making an apparent suicide attempt while in a police custody suite. The last incident of this kind was in 2016/17.”

Greater Manchester deputy mayor Kate Green, who leads the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners’ work on custody, said: “It is extremely concerning to see the number of deaths following or during police contact is continuing to rise.

“Police and crime commissioners (PCCs) will continue to scrutinise chief constables and work with communities to deliver independent custody visiting checks.”

Deborah Coles, director of the charity Inquest, said: “No one should by dying at the hands of police. Yet every year, more people are dying in and following police custody.

“The fact that the majority of these deaths relate to mental ill health and drugs and alcohol reiterate the urgent need for a community health and not a policing response.

“Ultimately to prevent further deaths and harm, we must look beyond policing and redirect resources into community, health, welfare and specialist drug and alcohol services.”

IOPC director general Rachel Watson said: “Past figures show mental ill health to be a consistent factor among those who die in or following custody, but it features even more starkly this year.

“Furthermore, in 48 of the 68 apparent suicides, and in just under half of the 60 other deaths we investigated, mental health was identified as a relevant factor.”

While not all deaths where police have been in contact with someone will be preventable, she said it was “disappointing to see increases this year among deaths in or following custody, road traffic fatalities and post-custody apparent suicides”, adding: “It is important that any learning from investigations is acted on and fed into improvements to help police officers better manage risk.”

Surrey Police Deputy Chief Constable Nev Kemp, the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s (NPCC) lead on custody, said: “We are acutely aware of the huge responsibility policing has to protect the physical and mental welfare of the people we come into contact with.

“It is right that every death is independently scrutinised and fully investigated to ensure that any learning is taken forward and acted upon.

“Police custody plays a pivotal role in keeping the public safe and supporting the criminal justice process. It is an exceptionally challenging and high-risk environment where dedicated officers and staff care for some of the most vulnerable and challenging people in society.

“We welcome this report and continue to work closely with a range of partners to help ensure police custody is as safe as possible.”