Serving police officer sustained injury while detained in custody – Metropolitan Police Service, March 2021

On 9 March 2021, a serving Metropolitan Police Service officer was arrested on suspicion of kidnapping a member of the public and transported to Wandsworth Custody suite. While in custody, they were further arrested for murder and an unrelated offence of indecent exposure.

On 10 March 2021, custody staff described observing the detainee hitting their head against the toilet in their cell and subsequently falling to the floor. On 12 March 2021, the detainee ran towards the cell wall, hit their head and fell to the floor. After each incident an ambulance was called, and they were transported to hospital where they received treatment before being returned to custody.

We considered and reviewed the custody CCTV, custody record log, a witness statement from the constant watch officer and their pocket notebook entries. We also compared the evidence to relevant policing procedures, policies, and guidance.

Our investigation concluded in June 2021. We waited for all associate proceedings attached to linked investigations to conclude before publishing our findings.

During the investigation, there was no indication any police officer or staff member had behaved in a manner that would justify the bringing of disciplinary proceedings or had committed a criminal offence.

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 did not identify any learning.