Police response to medical emergency – Dyfed-Powys Police, January 2019

In January 2019, Dyfed-Powys Police officers were called to attend a report of a man smashing up his hotel room. Upon the arrival of officers, the man was found lying on the floor, snoring loudly and breathing heavily, with foam coming from his nose. He was described as staring at the ceiling with his eyes moving all over the place. It was noted that he had white powder around his nose, had blood around his mouth and teeth, and was unresponsive to verbal communication.

The officers recognised that they were dealing with a medical emergency. They attempted to reassure the man and sought medical assistance from the ambulance service. The man started to lash out towards the officers with his arms and legs, resulting in two officers restraining him for a few seconds. The man subsequently had three seizures and went into cardiac arrest.

The officers administered CPR and continued to do so following the arrival of the ambulance service. The man was pronounced dead approximately two hours after the initial call was made to police.

Toxicological analysis confirmed that the man had taken a large amount of cocaine prior to his death.
We conducted a detailed examination of the circumstances that led to the death of the man. We reviewed documentary evidence, viewed body worn video footage, radio transmissions, and obtained witness statements from the officers and the caller.

Our investigation concluded in August 2019.

During our investigation there was no indication any police officer may have behaved in a manner that would justify the bringing of disciplinary proceedings or committed a criminal offence.

An inquest was held on 11 February 2022 concluding that the actions of officers did not cause or contribute to the man’s death. We waited for all associated proceedings to be complete before publishing our findings.

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. In this case, the investigation has not identified any learning.