Man sustains injuries while in custody - Thames Valley Police, January 2019

On 10 January 2019 Thames Valley Police officers arrested a man for being drunk and disorderly in a public place and took him to custody, as he didn’t seem to know where he lived. While alone in his cell the man fell backwards and hit his head, losing consciousness. He was treated for head injuries in hospital and was then discharged.

Our investigators attended the scene and took CCTV evidence from the custody suite. We obtained accounts from the police and detention officers on duty and spoke to the injured man.

CCTV evidence showed that, while under the influence of alcohol, the man was able to walk and stand and appeared aware of his own actions, which would not suggest he was ‘incapable’, as defined in police guidance. There was no indication either that the man had any pre-existing injury when admitted into custody.

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. We completed our investigation in February 2019.