Man self-harms in custody - City of London Police, October 2017

On 3 October 2017, City of London Police officers arrested a man and took him to custody at Bishopsgate Police Station. Custody staff were unable to complete a full risk assessment as the man was too aggressive, but did record that he said he wanted to kill himself. It was also noted that the man had various warning signals on the Police National Computer, including mental health issues, numerous self-harm indicators, using ligatures in the cell and putting clothing around his neck. Medical issues with the man’s legs were also identified and he was taken to hospital for treatment before returning to custody. It was also identified that he had an infectious disease. Throughout the time he was in custody, the man made threats to harm officers, which included spitting at them.

The man was placed under constant observation via CCTV and was allowed to retain clothing in his cell, including full-length trousers and a long-sleeved top. At 10.05am, 12.07pm and 1.15pm on 4 October, the man removed items of clothing and tied them around his neck. The man also smeared excrement around his cell. On each occasion, officers entered the cell and removed the item of clothing being used as a ligature, but allowed the man to keep other items of clothing.

The investigation examined the risk assessment conducted for the man, officers’ decisions to allow him to retain his clothing, and the level of observations the man was placed on while in custody. Two custody officers were served with a notice of investigation in relation to these matters.

During the investigation, investigators reviewed CCTV footage from the custody suite, the decisions recorded on the custody record, and interviewed the custody officers who made the decisions to allow the man to retain some of his clothing.

In our view, the evidence indicated that the staff and officers caring for the man appeared to have done all they reasonably could to prevent him from self-harming while also preserving his dignity by allowing him to retain his own clothes, and having regard to his leg injuries. Officers were able to get to the man each time he attempted to self-harm and to prevent him from doing so. We were also of the opinion that the officers should be commended for their professional actions in very difficult circumstances.

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. We completed our investigation in August 2018.