Man becomes seriously unwell while in police custody – Metropolitan Police Service, July 2023

A man was arrested and taken to custody where he disclosed a head injury that had occurred before police contact. Police officers took him to the accident and emergency department of a hospital. 

He was later discharged from hospital and medication was given to the man. The man had a cardiac arrest shortly after returning to custody. Medical treatment was provided in custody and an ambulance was called. The man was taken to hospital where sadly, he died three days later. 

We received a death or serious injury referral from the Metropolitan Police Service and decided to independently investigate the man’s death. We examined the contact the man had with the police, including the custody risk assessments and observation plans, the checks made on the man while he was in custody, and the medical attention and first aid provided. 

Our investigators reviewed 90 hours of body worn video and CCTV footage, as well as gathering statements, medical records, post-mortem, histology and toxicology results. All police officers and custody staff were treated as witnesses to the investigation.

We concluded there was no indication that a person serving with the police committed a criminal offence or behaved in a manner justifying the bringing of disciplinary proceedings. 

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.