Man sustained a serious injury following his arrest - Merseyside Police, February 2019

A Merseyside Police officer was called to a pub in Liverpool city centre on 1 February 2019 where the officer, along with the assistance of door staff, restrained and arrested a man for drunken and disorderly behaviour. The man was transported to a local custody suite and upon arrival at custody he was assessed by a nurse and was found to have no acute concerns. Evidence indicated that two hours after being taken to his cell, the man was urinating blood. Following a second examination by the nurse, the man was transported to hospital by police. The man later required surgery on a ruptured bladder.

The man complained that following his arrest he sustained a ruptured bladder due to excessive force, that he was sworn at by an officer and taken to custody instead of hospital.

We launched an independent investigation and interviewed officers that were involved in the restraint, arrest, transportation, and treatment of the man. We also obtained accounts from witnesses from the pub, including the man himself and examined CCTV and body worn video footage. We also analysed documents including the custody record and both national and Merseyside Police force policies.

During our investigation there was no indication that any police officer or member of police staff may have breached the standards of professional behaviour.

Based on the evidence we did not uphold the man’s complaints.

Our investigation highlighted potential learning for Merseyside Police in relation to timely completion of refresher training, completion of use of force forms and timely referrals to the IOPC.