Man self-harms on way to custody - Staffordshire Police, August 2018

Staffordshire Police officers responded to an incident in Cannock on 25 August 2018. They arrested, handcuffed and placed a man into the caged area of a police vehicle to transport him to a custody suite.

While in the caged area, the man removed his belt from his waist, fastened it around his neck and used it as a ligature by pulling down on it. The officers stopped the vehicle, removed the belt from the man and called for an ambulance. The man was admitted to hospital, where he received treatment and was later discharged.

Our investigators reviewed footage from police officers’ body-worn cameras and listened to police radio communications recorded during the incident. The police officers involved in arresting and transporting the man provided witness statements, and the police vehicle used was inspected.

Evidence indicated that the police officers who interacted with the man undertook appropriate risk assessments and took actions to manage and reduce the risks they identified, including by searching and handcuffing him prior to placing him in a police vehicle. They tasked an officer with monitoring the man during transit to safeguard his welfare, as required by the relevant policies. When this officer became aware the man had attempted to harm himself, the officers responded quickly to remove the ligature and then sought medical assistance in the form of an ambulance.

Based on the evidence available we found no indication that any person serving with the police may have behaved in a manner that would justify the bringing of disciplinary proceedings, or had committed a criminal offence.

However, our investigation highlighted some areas for improvement for the force to reduce the possibilities of such an incident recurring. This included providing guidance/refresher training to officers regarding transporting detainees to highlight the need to act to optimise their view of the detainee when monitoring them to ensure their safety. It also covered reviewing the suitability of the vehicle used on this occasion as a police vehicle to ensure escorting officers have an adequate view of detainees held in the caged area.

After reviewing our report Staffordshire Police advised that they were taking measures to progress our recommendations.