Investigation into police contact with a man who died shortly after arrest – West Yorkshire Police, November 2022

Staff at a supermarket called the police to report they had detained a man they suspected had been shoplifting. Police officers arrived and arrested the man.

The officers handcuffed the man and took him to custody. He was strip searched as he had warning markers for previously hiding drugs in his clothing while in custody. No items were found.

The man told custody staff he had a history of drug use. He was seen by the on-duty health care professional (HCP) and given medical rest. His cell was monitored at regular intervals.

The man was interviewed about the reported shoplifting and was charged with four counts of theft. He remained in police custody to appear before the magistrate’s court the following morning.

He was found unresponsive during a regular cell check by detention officers. The custody HCP gave the man first aid, and an ambulance was called. He was transferred to hospital but sadly died.

We received a death or serious injury referral from West Yorkshire Police and decided to independently investigate the nature and extent of police contact with the man, if there was any evidence that the police may have caused or contributed to the man’s death, and if the police’s actions were in-line with local and national policies and procedures.

We did not investigate the circumstances of the man’s death as that is a matter for the force and the coroner.

Our investigators took statements from police officers and detention officers. We reviewed CCTV, custody cell footage and body worn video. We concluded there was no indication that a person serving with the police committed a criminal offence or behaved in a manner to justify disciplinary proceedings.

We found that the actions of the police officers and staff involved in the arrest, detention, decision-making and care of the man were in-line with the relevant legislation and procedures.

We carefully considered whether there were any learning opportunities arising from the investigation. We make learning recommendations to improve policing and public confidence in the police complaints system and prevent a recurrence of similar incidents.

We did not identify any organisational learning in this case.