Police contact with man before his death - Kent Police, February 2022

At 12.47am on 1 February 2022, Kent Police officers attended reports of a man in possession of a knife and attempting to seriously harm himself. The man, who had mental health difficulties, was residing in temporary accommodation at the time. Officers remained with the man until he was medically assessed by paramedics and deemed to have capacity. 

The man agreed to voluntarily attend hospital for further examinations. Officers also attended the hospital and remained with the man until approximately 6am, following an initial psychiatric assessment of the man and a handover to hospital security. At around 8.15am, the man left the hospital and walked into oncoming traffic. He died as a result of fatal head injuries caused by the collision. 

Our investigators reviewed the incident logs, video footage, radio airwaves, medical notes and the statements and contemporaneous notes of attending police officers. Statements of medical staff and the hospital security team were also obtained and analysed, and further statements were taken by the IOPC where required. 

During the investigation, there was no indication any police officer had behaved in a manner that would justify the bringing of disciplinary proceedings or had committed a criminal offence.

We carefully considered whether there were any learning opportunities arising from the investigation. We make learning recommendations to improve policing and public confidence in the police complaints system, and prevent a recurrence of similar incidents. 

In this case we identified potentials areas for improvement and will consult with the police force before making a decision on issuing statutory recommendations.