Man unwell in custody complained he found drugs in his cell - Devon and Cornwall Police, May 2018

On 17 May 2018 Devon and Cornwall Police officers arrested a man for the offences of drug driving and possession of a class A drug. The man was transported to police custody, where he was strip searched and placed in a cell. While in the cell, the man snorted a wrap of drugs and became unresponsive. He was treated in the cell and taken to hospital, before returning to custody. The man alleged that he found the wrap of drugs in the police cell and complained the cell had not been cleaned.

During the investigation, investigators reviewed CCTV covering the entire duration of the man’s stay in custody. A statement of complaint was taken from the man and custody records and relevant policies and procedures were reviewed.

The evidence suggested on balance of probabilities that it was more likely than not that the man had concealed the wrap in his jeans rather than finding it within the police cell: CCTV footage from within the cell appeared to show that the cell was clean and no wraps of drugs or other items had been left in the cell prior to the man’s incarceration.

The investigation found no indication that any person serving with the police may have committed a criminal offence or behaved in a manner that would justify the bringing of disciplinary proceedings. We were of the opinion that one custody officer may benefit from a debrief around methods of concealment and the process of conducting searches. We also suggested that the force may want to introduce a more structured administrative regime around cell cleaning.

We did not uphold the man’s complaint.

After reviewing our report the force agreed the officer would receive feedback. They also commented that this incident will serve as an important reminder of custody being a high-risk environment and ensuring high standards of professionalism and attention to detail to minimise risks are maintained