Dodger 0 Report post Posted January 4, 2005 I thought this was interesting. I know each death is a tragedy and the figure is frighteningly high, I get the impression that the Old Bill is doing pretty well. I wish I had the equivalent figures for Houston or any other major US city as a comparison and I'm sure they would be much worse. "Police custody death figures down" The number of people who died in police custody last year fell slightly from the previous record high, new figures reveal. Exactly 100 people died during or after contact with police officers in 2003-2004, down from 104 in the previous 12 months, Home Office statistics for England and Wales showed. The number from ethnic minority groups who died fell sharply from 22 to 10. Of the total, 38 were as a result of road accidents involving the police, one was a fatal police shooting and 38 took place either in or after police custody, including people who killed themselves. The youngest fatality was a 12-year-old boy who was a passenger in a car which collided with a passing police vehicle when his 18-year-old brother lost control on a bend in July 2003. The remainder of cases were during or after other types of contact with the police, such as a 31-year-old man who stole a bottle of spirits from a late night store in North Wales, but as he fled from police his trousers fell down, tripping him over. The bottle smashed into his chest and he died from his injuries in June last year. Home Office minister Hazel Blears said: "Every death that follows contact with the police is a tragedy and is treated with the utmost seriousness by both the government and the police service......" Press Association Tuesday October 12, 2004 5:48 PM Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
