IOPC Director General comments on annual deaths statistics report 2024/25

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has today published its annual Deaths during or following police contact’ report for 2024/25.

Now in its 21st year, the statistics provide an official record setting out the number of such deaths and the circumstances in which they happened. Figures across the different categories can fluctuate each year, and any conclusions about trends need to be treated with caution.    

While there has been a reduction in fatalities in some categories in 2024/25, the figures are broadly in line with the averages over the last decade.

There was a substantial fall in the number of people who had force used against them by police before their deaths in or following custody. Restraint by police featured in less than a third (29%) of these deaths in 2024/25, which is below the average for the last decade (41%). Please note that the force used did not necessarily contribute to the deaths.

Mental ill health, drugs and alcohol remain common factors in deaths in custody and following police contact.

Commenting on the report, IOPC Director General Rachel Watson said:

“Behind every death is a human story - each one is a terrible loss for their family and friends. Our thoughts are with all those impacted.

“Our ambition must be to reduce these deaths wherever possible. We know that policing cannot do this alone and a wider, multi-agency response is required.

“We welcome initiatives led by the National Police Chiefs’ Council, College of Policing and the Independent Advisory Panel on Deaths in Custody aimed at improving policy, training and practice within policing and ensuring that detainees have a safe journey through and after police custody.

“It is disappointing that mental ill health remains a common factor in so many of these deaths. We welcome changes in the Mental Health Bill to end the use of police cells as an appropriate place of safety for those in crisis, as well as the Right Care, Right Person initiative which aims to ensure vulnerable people receive the most appropriate service from the right agency.

“We will continue to work with others to ensure that learning from these deaths is used to inform improvements to policing. Recommendations we and others make will now be collated in a new national database being developed by the College of Policing. This is a positive development which will help ensure learning from cases is built into future police training and guidance.”