Man sustained a serious injury while in custody – Cleveland Police, August 2019
Recommendation date: 24 February 2021
Response due: 21 April 2021
Published: 28 May 2021
Custody and detention
On 21 August 2019, Cleveland Police officers arrested a man and took him tohospital where he received treatment for an injury to his arm and a mental healthassessment. The man was taken from hospital to a custody suite where he wasdetained. During his detention, the man self-harmed and opened the wound on hisarm using his teeth and a small piece of metal. He also suffered from chest painswhile in custody and was taken back to hospital by ambulance. Following a Death or Serious injury referral by Cleveland Police, we determined thatthe incident should be subject to a local investigation. After reviewing the localinvestigation report, we identified potential conduct and therefore invited ClevelandPolice to make a conduct referral. On 19 June 2020, we declared an independent investigation. During ourinvestigation we obtained CCTV footage from the custody suite and the man’scustody record. Based on this evidence, we identified potential conduct for a …
Recommendations (3)
Recommendation 1
Accepted
Recommendation
The IOPC recommends that Cleveland Police should take steps to ensure that custody officers follow Authorised Professional Practice when determining and recording levels of obsevation for detainees. This should include consideration of whether: This follows an incident where a man … Read more
Force Response
Accepted action: Cleveland Police acknowledge that the current practice within custody does not conform to Authorised Professional Practice when determining and recording levels of observations for detainees. There is a requirement to change Niche to accommodate this. A project has … Read more
Recommendation 2
Accepted
Recommendation
The IOPC recommends that Cleveland Police should review the working practices used in custody, specifically in relation to CCTV observations, to ensure that the principles set out in the Authorised Professional Practice (APP) are followed. This should include consideration of; … Read more
Force Response
Accepted action: Analysis of demand in custody including where the CCTV operator sits has been conducted. This analysis has identified that detention officers receive approximately 8000 calls per month. A telephone extension is located in the position where the where … Read more
Recommendation 3
Accepted
Recommendation
The IOPC recommends that Cleveland Police should take steps to ensure that all searches in custody are completed to a high standard and that force policies and Authorised Professional Practice (APP) are followed. This follows an incident where a man … Read more
Force Response
Accepted action: Further training will be provided to detention officers to ensure they understand and comply with Custody APP. Cleveland Police are in the process of reviewing the role and responsibilities of Detention Officers in custody as they are too … Read more