Latest figures show fall in deaths in or following police custody

Mental ill-health, drugs and alcohol remain common factors in deaths in custody and following police contact.

While there has been a reduction in fatalities in some categories in 2024/25, the figures are broadly in line with the averages over the past decade, said the IOPC.

There was a substantial fall in the number of people who had force used against them by police before their deaths in or following custody. Restraint by police featured in less than a third (29 per cent) of these deaths in 2024/25, which is below the average for the past decade (41 per cent). The IOPC notes that the force used did not necessarily contribute to the deaths.

Commenting on the report, IOPC Director General Rachel Watson said: “Behind every death is a human story – each one is a terrible loss for their family and friends. Our thoughts are with all those impacted.

“Our ambition must be to reduce these deaths wherever possible. We know that policing cannot do this alone and a wider, multi-agency response is required.

“We welcome initiatives led by the National Police Chiefs’ Council, College of Policing and the Independent Advisory Panel on Deaths in Custody aimed at improving policy, training and practice within policing and ensuring that detainees have a safe journey through and after police custody.

“It is disappointing that mental ill-health remains a common factor in so many of these deaths. We welcome changes in the Mental Health Bill to end the use of police cells as an appropriate place of safety for those in crisis, as well as the Right Care, Right Person initiative which aims to ensure vulnerable people receive the most appropriate service from the right agency.

“We will continue to work with others to ensure that learning from these deaths is used to inform improvements to policing. Recommendations we and others make will now be collated in a new national database being developed by the College of Policing. This is a positive development which will help ensure learning from cases is built into future police training and guidance.”

Association of Police and Crime Commissioners’ (APCC) joint lead on Mental Health and Custody, Deputy Mayor Kate Green, said: “This reduction in the number of deaths is extremely welcome. However, every death is tragic so there is absolutely no reason for complacency.

“Many of those who end up in police custody have highly complex needs such as drugs or alcohol dependency, often coupled with poor mental health. This is why it is so important that custody staff ensure effective risk assessments and appropriate safeguarding processes are in place. It is also crucial that custody work with local health care providers and charitable organisations to secure support for detainees upon their release.

“Police and crime commissioners (PCCs) have statutory functions as part of efforts to reduce the number of deaths in custody and following contact with police. Checks carried out by Independent Custody Visitors, and independent scrutiny panel members are crucial to informing PCCs’ scrutiny of custody, and in maintaining public confidence in a typically hidden area of policing.

“The use of custody is a necessary tool for police whilst they investigate crimes, but those held in their care must be protected from harm. APCC guidance supports PCCs to ensure prioritisation of safe and efficient local custody practices. I and my fellow PCCs will continue to fairly scrutinise police custody services so the public can be reassured that the safety and security of those held is safeguarded.”

Now in its 21st year, the IOPC’s annual report on deaths during or following police contact provides an official record setting out the number of such deaths, the circumstances in which they happen, and any underlying factors. However, the IOPC stressed that figures across the different categories can fluctuate each year, any conclusions about trends need to be treated with caution.

The report shows that in 2024/25 eight people were taken ill or were identified as being unwell in a police cell. Five were taken to hospital where they later died. Three people died in a police custody suite.

In addition:

• Six people were taken ill at the scene of arrest. Four people were taken to hospital, where they later died. Two people died at the scene;
• One child died while being transported to custody;
• One man died following release from police custody;
• One man was taken ill in Border Force detention and died in hospital; and
• There were two fatal police shootings, same as the previous year.

There were 26 fatalities from 25 police-related road traffic incidents (RTIs). This is six fewer deaths than 2023/24. Of the 26 deaths, 18 arose from 17 police pursuit-related incidents. There were five emergency response-related incidents and fatalities, and three deaths related to other police traffic activity.

There were 60 apparent suicides following police custody, eight fewer than in the previous year.

The IOPC investigated 50 other deaths following contact with the police in a wide range of circumstances, a decrease of 12 on 2023/24. Deaths are only included in this category when the IOPC has conducted an independent investigation.

Mental health, drugs and/or alcohol:

of the 17 people who died in or following police custody, nine had known mental health concerns, and 15 had links to drugs and/or alcohol.

over half (29) of those who died following other police contact were reported to be intoxicated by drugs and/or alcohol at the time of the incident, or it featured heavily in their lifestyle; a similar proportion of the people who died were reported to have mental health concerns (32).

of the 60 apparent suicides, 37 people had known mental health concerns and 28 people had links to drugs and/or alcohol.

Restraint and use of force:

five of the 17 people who died in or following police custody had some use of force against them by the police before their deaths. All five involved use of force by the police. One death also involved use of force by security officers.

seven of the 50 other deaths following police contact which were independently investigated, involved restraint or other use of force by police. Three deaths involved restraint by non-police (one involved security guards, one involved prison officers, and another involved the application of leg restraints by paramedics). No deaths involved Taser discharge.

the use of force did not necessarily contribute to the deaths.

Ethnicity:

of the 17 deaths in or following custody, 15 of the deceased were white and two were black.

of the two deaths by fatal shooting, one was white and one was black.

of the 50 other deaths following police contact the IOPC decided to investigate, 43 people were White, five were Asian, and two were black.

of the five deaths in or following custody where there was use of force by police, three of the deceased were white and two were black.

of the seven other deaths following police contact which involved use of force by police, all were white.

Road traffic fatalities:

of the 18 pursuit-related fatalities, 14 were the driver or passenger in the pursued vehicle and three people were drivers or passengers of an unrelated vehicle which was hit by the pursued car. One pedestrian was hit by a pursued vehicle. The average age of those who died either as driver or passenger in a pursued or fleeing vehicle was 25 years.

one pursuit-related incident resulted in two fatalities.

five of the people who died were the driver or passenger of a motorcycle (4) or moped (1).

the 26 total deaths figure is below the average (28) for road traffic incident fatalities recorded over the last decade.

Other deaths following police contact:

44 fatalities followed contact with the police, either directly or indirectly, after concerns were raised about someone’s welfare.

of the 50 deaths, 33 were male and 17 female.

13 of the 16 domestic-related concern for welfare deaths were of women.

Apparent suicides:

of the 60 apparent suicides, 38 (63 per cent) had been arrested for an alleged sexual offence – 27 of the 36 (45 per cent) involved alleged offences against children.