Recommendation - Hertfordshire Constabulary, March 2021
A detainee sustained a serious injury following his arrest and detention for drunk and disorderly behaviour. The detainee was handcuffed to the rear and seated on the bench inside a police van when the cage doors were closed. The officer closing the cage door stopped once notified by another officer but not before the detainee had received an injury to the middle finger on his left hand. The officers provided first aid and transported him to hospital. Here it was confirmed he had received a cut to the bed of the nail, loss of finger nail and a fracture to the tip of the finger.
IOPC reference
Recommendations
The IOPC recommends that the National Association for Police Fleet Managers (NAPFM) shares advice and guidance on the use of finger trap shields in police vehicles. This should specifically relate to any vehicle fitted with a cage used to transport detained persons.
This follows a case where an individual who was calm and compliant was placed in the back of a police van. When the doors were shut, he sustained a serious injury having got his finger trapped in the cage door hinge. During the consultation period with the NAPFM, the IOPC have been made aware of work that has already begun to highlight this issue and develop guidance.
Do you accept the recommendation?
Yes
Accepted action:
This was raised to the NAPFM technical group, which prompted the following actions:-
- The national Technical specifications, as attached (used for any national procurement for current and future cell vans), includes a specific requirement for "anti-finger-trap design hinge". This element will remain a requirement in future designs.
- All fleet managers have been made aware of the issue and asked to check their current cell van fleet.
- A fleet manager helpfully shared the rubber guard and signage used by West-Mids. Police, and this has also been circulated as good practice.
- This is now business as usual, and picked up by the response cell van specification.