§ Dr. MurrisonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what steps he is taking to reduce the number of deaths in police custody; [70830]
(2) what assessment he has made of the causes of the change in the annual number of deaths in police custody since 1992. [70952]
§ Mr. DenhamThe number of people dying in police stations has fallen from 16 to five in the period 1998–99 to 2000–01. Provisional figures for 2001–02 show that the decline is continuing.
The definitions of deaths in police custody or otherwise with the police were revised in 1996 to make them clearer, and to distinguish between deaths of those in police detention and other deaths involving the police. This resulted in a broader range of deaths being reported, for example people who died while attempting to evade arrest in vehicles. This has resulted in an increase in the published figures.
The increased figure for 1995–96 reflected the change to collecting the figures on a financial year basis rather than on a calendar year basis and were collected over a 15 month period (1 January 1995 to 31 March 1996).
Much has been done in recent years by the police, the Home Office and the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) to identify the main factors responsible for deaths in custody and to consider how the position can be improved. Police forces in England and Wales are taking a range of actions to reduce such deaths. These include safer custody facilities, improved training, Close Circuit Television (CCTV) monitoring and an emphasis on better care, assessment and monitoring of detainees.