Man dies following contact with police - Essex Police, March 2018
In January 2018, Essex Police arrested a man on suspicion of being in possession of indecent images of children (IIOC). The man stated that he would kill himself while officers were at his home, and this information was passed to the custody sergeant when he arrived at the police station. While in custody, the man was seen by a specialist psychiatric practitioner, who assessed that he was not at imminent risk of self-harm. The man was released from custody the following day and the officer in charge of the case kept him updated about the progress of the case.
The man was due to appear for bail in March, but failed to attend the appointment. The man’s solicitor told the police that he had said he couldn’t afford the cost of the journey to the police station. Two days later, the man was found dead at home by his family.
Our investigators examined the nature and extent of police contact with the man in order to establish whether any action taken or not taken by the police may have caused or contributed towards his death. They obtained statements from officers. The Lead Investigator reviewed documents relating to the man’s arrest, detention and investigation. We found that officers and staff had complied with the policy, procedures and guidance relevant to this investigation.
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.
Our investigation highlighted some areas of learning for the force. We suggested that Essex Police may wish to consider reviewing their local procedures to increase officers’ awareness of the suicide risk to suspected IIOC and child sexual exploitation offenders in the first 48 hours of contact after police intervention. Essex Police may also wish to consider whether guidance on trigger dates such as charging and court appearances should be integrated into local procedures to increase officers’ awareness. Both are in line with the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) Interim Guidance on Suicide Prevention Risk Management specific to Perpetrators of Child Sexual Exploitation and Indecent Images of Children.
After reviewing our report, the force advised that they would address these in a number of ways. They will use the NPCC guidance to inform a review of existing Essex Police procedures governing suicide risk management, as well as an internal communication to those dealing with such cases in order to highlight the NPCC guidance.
The findings of our investigation will be shared with the Essex Police Learning the Lessons Board in order to inform broader learning and development opportunities across the force, and will also be incorporated into a case study for internal publication to reinforce learning and development.
We agreed that their proposals were appropriate