WIREDGOV

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has issued its findings from an investigation into how Gwent Police dealt with a man who had suffered a serious head injury prior to being taken to custody.

The investigation found that police actions to arrest the 31 year old man at hospital and convey him to Ystrad Mynach police station were reasonable. However there was a lack of adequate communication between the NHS and police over the man’s condition when he was taken away from the hospital. The investigation also found there were some shortcomings by Gwent Police in implementing required custody procedures while the man was detained.

The man sustained life-changing injuries in the initial incident and is still recovering at home.

On 22 September 2012, police attended following reports a man was drunk and lying on a street in Pontllanfraith, Blackwood. The man was taken by ambulance to Nevill Hall hospital in Abergavenny. A witness told police at the scene that the man had hit his head on the concrete pavement.

The man underwent an initial assessment at hospital, but a few hours later police were called by staff there concerned by the man’s abusive behaviour and his being a potential risk to himself and others.

IPCC Commissioner Jan Williams said: "A lack of adequate communication between the NHS and police in this case, together with shortcomings in implementing custody procedures, led to a distinct lapse in the standards expected for detaining someone in police custody. It concerns me that police had no written information from medical staff over the man’s condition when he was removed from the hospital, and no protocol was in place to do so. I am pleased that Gwent Police has since taken steps to ensure that documented information is provided by A&E departments to accompany any person being taken from hospital into police custody, so that custody nurses can make informed decisions about detention and treatment.

"I recognise police were in a difficult position with limited options when called to the hospital. They took sensible steps to check the man’s history and seek help for him prior to conveying him to the police station. While police did maintain regular observations on the man in custody and he did not complain of being unwell, no medical assessment was carried out and officers appeared to attribute his behaviour to drunkenness rather than the effects of a head injury.

"The custody sergeant was not fully apprised of all relevant information around the arrest and did not adequately question the causes of the man’s attendance at hospital. I have urged Gwent Police to conduct force-wide training on dealing with head injuries and further work to ensure all officers are aware of their responsibilities in the custody manual.”

The IPCC investigation found no case to answer for misconduct against any individual officers, but recommended the force address performance issues for the custody sergeant.

There were discrepancies between the recollection of events at the hospital between nursing staff and police officers, with nursing staff saying officers were made aware of concerns about the man’s head injury and the officers saying it was described to them as a ‘small cut’.

Gwent Police’s response to the initial incident in Pontllanfraith on 22 September was found to be appropriate. Officers were called to Nevill Hall hospital at 12.10 am the following morning (Sunday) as a result of reports by hospital staff of disorderly behaviour and the man was arrested and taken to Ystrad Mynach police station. At around 7.50 am officers called for an ambulance after the man became unwell and he was taken to hospital. He was later found to have several fractures to his skull and bleeding to his brain