Deaths in police-related road traffic incidents at four-year high

IOPC Director General Michael Lockwood said the numbers were “concerning”.

There were 39 fatalities from 32 police-related road traffic incidents in 2021/22. This represents an increase of 14 deaths on the previous year, and is the highest figure recorded since 2018/19, when there were 42 deaths.

Of the 39 deaths, 33 fatalities arose from 26 police pursuit-related incidents. There were three emergency response-related incidents and fatalities.

Five of the 26 pursuit-related incidents resulted in 12 fatalities.

Mr Lockwood said: “It is concerning to note that this year has seen a rise in the number of fatalities from road traffic incidents, 39 deaths from 25 the previous year.

“Five incidents accounted for 12 of the deaths and a high proportion (85 per cent) of the deaths were police pursuit-related.

“In the 13 deaths where the IOPC has concluded an investigation we found police officers acted appropriately, and in accordance with their training, policies and procedures.”

Of the 33 pursuit-related fatalities, 25 were the driver or passenger in the pursued vehicle and three people were pedestrians who were hit by the pursued or suspect vehicle, said the IOPC. The average age of those who died as either driver or passenger in a pursued or fleeing vehicle was 27.

The IOPC’s annual report on deaths during or following police contact in 2021/22 shows there were 11 deaths in or following police custody, a decrease of eight from 2020/21, and the joint lowest figure since these statistics began in 2004/05.

Five people were taken ill or were identified as being unwell in a police cell, two of whom were taken to hospital where they died on arrival, or sometime later, and three people died in a police custody suite.

Two people were taken ill at the scene of arrest. One person was taken to hospital, where they later died. The other person died at the scene.

The IOPC said two people were taken ill in a police vehicle, both of whom were taken to hospital where they died, and two people died following release from police custody.

Of the 11 deaths in or following custody, ten were white and one was black.

The IOPC’s figures show of the four deaths in or following custody where restraint was used, three of the deceased were white and one was black.

Of the seven other contact deaths involving use of force, five of the deceased were white, one was black, and one was Asian.

There were two fatal police shootings, compared with one the previous year. One of those fatally shot by police was black, said the IOPC.

There were also 56 apparent suicides following police custody, an increase of one on the previous year.

Of these, 30 (54 per cent) of those who died had been arrested for an alleged sexual offence – of the 30, 27 (48 per cent of deaths) involved alleged offences against children.

The IOPC said these proportions are higher than the figures recorded last year (48 per cent and 39 per cent respectively), and higher than average figures.

Mr Lockwood said: “I welcome the fall in the number of deaths in or following police custody in England and Wales from 19 (2020/21) to 11 this year.

“This is the joint lowest figure recorded since these statistics began in 2004/05. However, we know that each and every death is a tragedy for the families and friends concerned.

“The same issues I have raised over previous years continue to be prevalent among those who died, with nine people having had links to alcohol and/or drugs and six having had mental health concerns.

“These same factors also feature strongly among the other 109 people who have died this year where we investigated the contact they had with the police prior to their death.

“It is vital that stronger efforts are made to work across agencies to help reduce deaths following police contact. These issues cannot be solved by the police service alone and need a concerted system-wide response to help prevent future deaths occurring.

“Specifically, we need to make sure that appropriate health and social services are available to meet the needs of those in crisis, particularly in response to issues of mental health.

“We also need to ensure police custody is as safe as possible, to better train officers to de-escalate in conflict situations where feasible, and to keep embedding learning into policing practice promptly.

“Police officers and staff need good quality, ongoing training and support to develop their professional skills and keep pace with developments. For example, spotting vulnerability is a recurring theme from our cases.”

The 109 other deaths following contact with the police occurred in a wide range of circumstances, the IOPC found. This an increase of 14 on the previous year.

The IOPC said deaths in this category are only included when it has conducted an independent investigation.

“Mental health concerns and links to drugs or alcohol were again common factors among many of those who died,” it added.

Six of the 11 who died in or following police custody had mental health concerns, and nine had links to drugs and/or alcohol.

Almost half (54) of those who died following other police contact were reported to be intoxicated with drugs and/or alcohol at the time of the incident, or it featured heavily in their lifestyle. Sixty per cent (66) were reported to have mental health concerns.

Four of the 11 people who died in or following police custody had been restrained by the police (hree) or others (one) before their deaths. There were seven, out of the 109 other deaths following contact investigated, that involved restraint or other use of force by police. One of the seven involved restraint by members of the public in addition to police. The use of force did not necessarily contribute to the death, said the IOPC.

In the ‘other deaths’ category, 98 fatalities followed contact with the police, either directly or indirectly, after concerns were raised about someone’s welfare – of these, 13 related to a report of a missing person and 25 were linked to concerns that were domestic related.

“With our increased focus on prevention, we have issued nearly 100 learning recommendations from our investigations and reviews following deaths in the past three years,” said Mr Lockwood.

“These cover a range of areas including call handling, incident grading, risk assessments, roads policing, and the welfare of detainees in custody.

“If learning emerges during an investigation, as in several of this year’s deaths in or following custody, we immediately inform relevant forces and national policing bodies to enable them to respond quickly.

“Many of the issues raised need a better system-wide response. I am personally committed to working with the Ministerial Board on Deaths in Custody and collaboratively with our partners and stakeholders to support this.

“We will be sharing this report widely to inform further work and learning to help prevent future deaths.”

Published for the 18th year, the statistics provide an official record setting out the number of such deaths, the circumstances in which they happen, and any underlying factors. The IOPC said figures across the different categories can fluctuate each year, and any conclusions about trends need to be treated with caution.

The report ‘Deaths during of following police contact: Statistics for England and Wales 2021/22’ is available here.

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