Police contact investigated with man threatening to jump from a bridge – Cleveland Police, October 2021

A member of the public called the police to report a man threatening to jump from a bridge into the path of a train.

Police officers arrived and successfully talked the man down from the bridge. The officers took the man in a police van to a local hostel that he had been staying at. The officers did not seek medical advice, call an ambulance to assess the man, or adequately relay details about what had happened to staff at the hostel.

The man was found dead later that day in the hostel. He had a ligature round his neck.

We received a death or serious injury referral from Cleveland Police and decided to independently investigate the police’s contact with the man before his death. We examined the police’s response to the initial report, the circumstances which led to the man being taken to the hostel, the nature and extent of police contact with the man, and if there was any evidence that the police may have caused or contributed to the man’s death.

We also considered whether the police officers’ decisions and actions were in-line with national and local policies and procedures.

Our investigators reviewed the body worn video footage worn by six police officers at the bridge. We formally interviewed each of these officers. We obtained statements from witnesses and members of the police, examined local policies on the use of Section 136 of the Mental Health Act 1983, and reviewed training material provided to student officers.

We concluded there was no indication that a person serving with the police committed a criminal offence, but that four of the officers may have breached the College of Policing’s Standards of Professional Behaviour for duties and responsibilities. We recommended that the four officers undergo the Reflective Practice Review Process (RPRP). This process allows officers to consider and reflect on the decisions they made so they can learn from the incident and better inform future encounters. Two officers did not face any further action.

The inquest into the man’s death concluded in May 2025. The coroner found that the police failed to contact mental health services about the man or tell staff at the hostel about the man’s mental health. Opportunities were missed by both Cleveland Police and the hostel to involve mental health professionals and arrange appropriate mental health support for the man.

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.