Six deaths recorded following contact with Thames Valley Police over a year
Figures from the Independent Office for Police Contact cover 2019-2020
Figures covering deaths after contact with Thames Valley Police have been revealed.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct has released a report on** deaths during or following police contact for 2019-2020. **
This shows that 6 people died either while in police custody, following it or after being in contact with police.
In the Thames Valley in 2019-20, there was one death during police custody, three apparent suicides following custody and two other deaths following police contact.
There were no recorded deaths for road traffic collisions or fatal shootings following police contact.
Thames Valley Police provided this statement:
"Thames Valley Police is responsible, as all other forces, for referring matters that relate to serious injury or death following police contact to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, in accordance with the IOPC Statutory Guidance.
"The IOPC will review the matter and either conduct an independent investigation, or it will direct that a local investigation is undertaken to establish the facts of the incident, and how serious injury or death occurred following contact with the police.
"Of the six deaths following police contact in the Thames Valley, referrals were made to the IOPC for each case.
"It was decided that three cases would be investigated independently, one of which was returned with no misconduct identified, and the other two currently remain under investigation and would therefore be inappropriate to comment on them any further.
"The other three were returned to the force, with all three resulting in no further action taken.
"If the Standards of Professional Behaviour are breached then the force will take appropriate disciplinary action.
"Thames Valley Police is committed to learning from all incidents where people come to harm, with a significant review process implemented, where necessary, to achieve this.
"As a result of this, the force is constantly developing the way we identify and manage risk, including how staff are trained in order that we lessen the chance of deaths or serious injury in similar circumstances in the future."