IOPC says 23 people died in 2017, of whom 11 were subjected to force or restraint

Twenty-three people died during or after police custody in 2017, the highest number for a decade, the police watchdog has said.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said three people died after being held in a police cell, and another five died after being held in a cell, becoming unwell and then being pronounced dead in hospital.

It said another nine people died in hospital after falling ill at the scene of an arrest.

The IOPC also said that 17 people had been subjected to the use of force or restraint “by the police or others” before they died, but that did not mean the use of force was a factor in their deaths. Of the 17, those restrained in custody numbered 11, the IOPC said, while six were not classed as having been in custody or detained.

The figures are open to interpretation, but the IOPC said the vast majority of those who died had prior problems involving mental health, drugs or alcohol.

Deaths in custody over 10 years. Deaths in custody over 10 years.

Twelve had “mental health concerns”, the watchdog said, and 18 “had links to drugs and/or alcohol”.

Of the 17 cases where force was used, the IOPC said nine people were white and eight were black. That means the proportion of black people dying after the use of force or restraint continues to be higher than the proportion of black people in the population of England and Wales.

The number of deaths after the use of force or restraint rose last year, as did the number of people from an ethnic minority background who died after a clash with police. Of 11 deaths after police restraint or the use of force in 2015-16, three were from ethnic minorities. The figure for 2016-17 was five out of 15.

Among the deaths covered by the latest statistics are high-profile cases such as Rashan Charles and Edson da Costa in London. Those deaths led to tension in the streets between police and communities.

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The spike in deaths will be of concern to ministers. Theresa May, while home secretary, was concerned about the issue and met families to hear their experiences and concerns.



A ministerial board to examine the issues has been set up. A report commissioned by the government and published last year called for sweeping reforms and said the system treated families badly.



The IOPC’s director general, Michael Lockwood, said: “Numbers across the categories of deaths fluctuate year on year, and care needs to be exercised in considering them against a backdrop of the numerous interactions the police have with the public each year.



“The rise in deaths in police custody this year, which includes at the point of arrest, in transit, in cells or in hospital, is concerning viewed against a trend of falling numbers over the last decade. Each of these tragic deaths is subject to investigation and we await formal causes of death for most of them.

“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.

“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. However, it is important when the police are involved that they are properly trained and equipped to manage the challenges they inevitably face, and that they learn from past mistakes.”

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Deborah Coles, the director 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.



“Too many highly vulnerable people with mental ill health and addictions are ending up in the criminal justice system. The solution does not lie within policing. Many of these preventable deaths illustrate the impact of austerity and the historic underfunding of health and community services.



“The disproportionality in the use of force against black people adds to the irrefutable evidence of structural racism embedded in policing practices.



“Following the Angiolini review, this has been a year of widespread promises of change and learning lessons. Clearly real systemic change remains to be seen.”

• This article was amended on 26 July 2018. An earlier version said that of the 23 people who died during or after police custody, 17 had been subjected to the use of force. In fact, not all 17 had been in custody.