Man becomes unwell while in custody- Dyfed-Powys Police, June 2018

On 24 June 2018, Dyfed-Powys Police officers arrested a man on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly and took him to Brecon custody unit. He was booked into custody at 12.36am on 25 June 2018. The Police National Computer (PNC) was not working at the time, so the custody sergeant was unable to search the man’s PNC record. The custody record indicates that the man was intoxicated and abusive when he was taken into custody, so the full booking-in process could not take place. The man was placed on level 2 observations, requiring checks every 30 minutes.

At 12.51am the man was taken to a cell and strip-searched. No items were found during the search.

At 1.20am officers conducting cell checks found the man unresponsive in his cell. When the custody nurse examined the man, he indicated that he had taken heroin before he was arrested. He was given five injections of an opiate reversal drug and taken to hospital, where he made a full recovery. The man was later released under investigation as he was deemed unfit to be detained in police custody.

During the investigation, our investigators obtained CCTV showing the man being booked into custody and being treated by the custody nurse. Investigators also obtained the notes of the officers and custody nurse who dealt with the man.

There was no evidence that police officers caused or contributed to the man’s serious injury. Officers provided him with appropriate care, and acted promptly in providing him with medical assistance.

Based on the evidence available we found no indication that any police officer or member of police staff may have behaved in a manner that would justify the bringing of disciplinary proceedings or committed a criminal offence.