Deaths in Custody

Zoe Mercer

[1][FOI #29463 email]

22 February 2010

Dear Ms Mercer

Freedom of Information Request - Reference No: 20100100

Thank you for your request for information in relation to:

1) How many deaths in custody have occurred in the last 5 years?

2) Which station was responsible for each person who died? (Eg.
Bromley: X deaths. Brixton: Y deaths. Etc.)

3) How many members of the public are served by the police stations
where deaths occurred?

Your request will now be considered and you will receive a response within
the statutory timescale of 20 working days as defined by the Act, subject
to the information not being exempt or containing a reference to a third
party. In some circumstances South Yorkshire Police may be unable to
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revised time-scale at the earliest opportunity

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If you have any enquiries please contact the Information Compliance Unit
on the numbers below.

Yours sincerely,

Martha Robinson
Information Compliance Clerk
South Yorkshire Police
Information Compliance Unit
Professional Standards Department
Unit 20 Sheffield 35A Business Park
Churchill Way
Sheffield
S35 2PY

External T/N
0114 292 1797
0114 292 1798

South Yorkshire Police provides you the right to request a re-examination
of your case under its review procedure (copy enclosed). If you decide to
request such a review and having followed the Constabulary***s full
process you are still dissatisfied, then you have the right to direct your
comments to Information Commissioner who will give it consideration.

Citizen Focus: Improving Satisfaction and Confidence is a Priority for the
Force

Zoe Mercer To FOI requests at South
<[FOI #29463 email]> Yorkshire Police
<[South Yorkshire Police request email]>
21/02/2010 09:06 cc
Subject Freedom of Information
request - Deaths in
Custody

Dear South Yorkshire Police,

I would like to know the following:

1) How many deaths in custody have occurred in the last 5 years?

2) Which station was responsible for each person who died? (Eg.
Bromley: X deaths. Brixton: Y deaths. Etc.)

3) How many members of the public are served by the police stations
where deaths occurred?

Many thanks and I hope to hear from you soon.

Yours faithfully,

Zoe Mercer

show quoted sections

3^rd March 2010

Zoe Mercer

[FOI #29463 email]

Dear Z. Mercer,

Freedom of Information Request - Reference No: 20100100

Thank you for your request in relation to.

***1) How many deaths in custody have occurred in the last 5 years?

2) Which station was responsible for each person who died? (Eg.
Bromley: X deaths. Brixton: Y deaths. Etc.)

3) How many members of the public are served by the police stations
where deaths occurred?***

RESPONSE

In responding to your request we have had regard to Home Office Circular
13/2002 and in particular to Category 3 within that document, which
provides the following definition of ***deaths in custody***: -

***This definition covers the deaths of persons who have been arrested or
otherwise
detained by the police. It also includes deaths occurring whilst a person
is being
arrested or taken into detention. The death may have taken place on
police, private
or medical premises, in a public place or in a police or other vehicle.
Deaths in the following circumstances are amongst those covered by the
definition:
** where the person dies in or on the way to hospital (or some other
medical
premises) following or during transfer from police detention;
** where the person dies after leaving police detention and there is a
link between
that detention and the death;
** where the person is being detained for the purposes of exercising a
power to stop
and search;
** where the death is of a child or young person detained for their own
protection
** where the person is in the care of the police having been detained
under the
Mental Health Act 1983;
** where the person is in police custody having been arrested by officers
from a
police force in Scotland exercising their powers of detention under
section 137(2)
of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994;
** where the person is in police custody having been arrested under
section 3(5) of
the Asylum and Immigration Appeals Act 1993;
** where the person is in police custody having been served a notice
advising them
of their detention under powers contained in the Immigration Act 1971;
** where the person is a convicted or remanded prisoner held in police
cells on
behalf of the Prison Service under the Imprisonment (Temporary Provisions)
Act
1980.***

+------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| 1) How many deaths in | 1 (one) |
| custody have occurred in | |
| the last 5 years? | |
|----------------------------+-------------------------------------------|
| 2) Which station was | Initially detained at Doncaster Custody |
| responsible for each | Suite but died in hospital |
| person who died? (Eg. | |
| Bromley: X deaths. | |
| Brixton: Y deaths. Etc.) | |
|----------------------------+-------------------------------------------|
| 3) How many members of the | The Custody Suite, Doncaster is situated |
| public are served by the | within the Central Police Station, |
| police stations | College Road, Doncaster. This station is |
| where deaths occurred? | central to the Doncaster Policing |
| | District, the boundaries of which are |
| | coterminous with the local council. South |
| | Yorkshire Police does not hold accurate |
| | information on population sizes. A brief |
| | period of research indicates the current |
| | population of Doncaster to be in excess |
| | of 67,000. You may wish to conduct |
| | further enquiries with other agencies |
| | should you require a more accurate and up |
| | to date figure |
+------------------------------------------------------------------------+

If you are unhappy with the way your request for information has been
handled, you can request a review by following the advice contained in the
separate notice attached to this correspondence:

If you remain dissatisfied with the handling of your request or complaint,
you have a right to appeal to the Information Commissioner at:
The Information Commissioner's Office,
Wycliffe House,
Water Lane,
Wilmslow,
Cheshire, SK9 5AF.
Telephone: 08456 306060 or 01625 545745
Website: www.ico.gov.uk
There is no charge for making an appeal.

Yours sincerely

Philip Crick
Information Compliance Clerk
South Yorkshire Police
Information Compliance Unit
Professional Standards Department
Unit 20 Sheffield 35A Business Park
Churchill Way
Sheffield
S35 2PY

Email - [South Yorkshire Police request email]

Please note that police forces in the United Kingdom are routinely
required to provide information and statistics to government bodies and
the recording criteria is set nationally. However, the systems used for
recording these figures are not generic, nor are the procedures used
locally in capturing the data. It should be noted that for these reasons
this forces response to your questions should not be used for the
comparison purposes with any other response you may receive.

South Yorkshire Police provides you the right to request a re-examination
of your case under its review procedure (copy enclosed). If you decide to
request such a review and having followed the Constabulary***s full
process you are still dissatisfied, then you have the right to direct your
comments to the Information Commissioner who will give it consideration.

The South Yorkshire Police in complying with their statutory duty under
sections 1 and 11 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to release the
enclosed information will not breach the Copyright, Designs and Patents
Act 1988. However, the rights of the copyright owner of the enclosed
information will continue to be protected by law. Applications for the
copyright owner***s written permission to reproduce any part of the
attached information should be addressed to The Force Solicitor, South
Yorkshire Police, Police Headquarters, Snig Hill, Sheffield, S3 8LY.

Zoe Mercer To FOI requests at South
<[FOI #29463 email]> Yorkshire Police
<[South Yorkshire Police request email]>
21/02/2010 09:06 cc
Subject Freedom of Information
request - Deaths in
Custody

Dear South Yorkshire Police,

I would like to know the following:

1) How many deaths in custody have occurred in the last 5 years?

2) Which station was responsible for each person who died? (Eg.
Bromley: X deaths. Brixton: Y deaths. Etc.)

3) How many members of the public are served by the police stations
where deaths occurred?

Many thanks and I hope to hear from you soon.

Yours faithfully,

Zoe Mercer

show quoted sections