Man becomes unwell in custody - Essex Police, March 2018

On 1 March 2018 Essex Police received reports that a man was acting suspiciously around vehicles and flats in a road in South Ockenden. The man was located by officers, who discovered that he was wanted for burglary.

Officers arrested the man and transported him to Grays custody, where he became unwell and required ambulance and hospital treatment.

Our investigators obtained witness statements and reviewed the custody record and CCTV footage from the custody suite.

Although officers described the man as having slurred speech and appearing confused when they arrested him, other officers present had no cause for concerns. The CCTV footage of the man arriving at Grays custody shows him walking unaided and communicating with staff, and does not seem to demonstrate the behaviours of someone requiring admission to hospital.

Based on the evidence available, we found no indication that any police officer may have contributed or caused the medical emergency that the man suffered from during his time in detention.