Investigation into death of a man - Suffolk Constabulary, March 2022

At 10.51pm on 30 March 2022, police officers from Suffolk Constabulary arrested a man for driving a motor vehicle while over the prescribed limit for alcohol. While being taken to the police station, the man became unwell.

Police officers diverted and took the man straight to hospital. The man’s condition further deteriorated at hospital and he died at 5.41am on 31 March 2022.

An inquest which concluded on Thursday 16 March determined that Mr Glen died as a result of acute alcohol toxicity.

The IOPC worked with the Home Office Pathologist to ascertain the cause of the man’s death. This included submitting samples for toxicological analyses which showed that the man had consumed large amounts of alcohol.

The IOPC obtained statements from police officers, hospital staff and other witnesses. CCTV was obtained as well as Body Worn Video.

The police officers involved were treated as witnesses to the investigation.

Our investigation concluded in November 2022. We waited for all associated proceedings to conclude before publishing our findings. 

We recommended to the force that two officers who took the man to Felixstowe police station receive individual learning concerning their initial interaction with him and their application of College of Policing guidance concerning persons considered to be drunk and incapable.

Our report highlighted the good practice of other officers at Felixstowe who acted decisively when presented with a medical emergency, sought medical expertise and then took the man to hospital.

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 organisational learning.