DEATHS in cells, in the back of police vans, during arrest and in police pursuit have risen to a ten year high, the latest figures released by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) show.
A total of 23 people died in or after detention in 2017-18, according to official figures released by the police watchdog, up from 14 people the previous year. More than half had mental health problems.
The number of deaths after the use of force or restraint also rose last year, as did the number of people from an ethnic minority background who died after a clash with police. To date there have been 1,662 deaths in police custody or otherwise following contact with the police in England and Wales since 1990.
Commenting on the figures, IOPC director general Michael Lockwood said: ‘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.’
Deborah Coles of Inquest said: ‘Too many highly vulnerable people with mental ill health and addictions are ending up in the criminal justice system. The disproportionality in the use of force against black people adds to the irrefutable evidence of structural racism embedded in policing practices.
‘These statistics point to the disturbing reality of prison life with escalating levels of distress, self-harm, homicide and violence. The only way to improve safety and reduce prison deaths is to dramatically cut the prison population and invest in community alternatives.’
Stephanie Lightfoot-Bennett, co-chair of United Families and Friends, said: ‘Deaths in police custody have been going up every single year. Every family who has lost a loved one must have access to legal aid. At the moment, it is denied to the families. The public purse pays for the defence of the police, yet the families have to pay for legal costs.
‘Statistically the majority of the people who die in police custody come from working class families. To expect them to pay legal costs is ridiculous. There has never been a police officer convicted of murder and this is where the legal system has failed every family. It is still failing families and will continue to fail families unless the judicial system is changed. In fact the whole system needs to be overhauled.’
