WIREDGOV

A man who died two days after consuming cocaine while detained in a police van may have had a better chance of surviving if police officers had acted differently, an Independent Police Complaints Commission report published yesterday has found.

Jan McLean, 34, died in hospital following his arrest on suspicion of drugs offences by officers from Surrey Police at a flat in Guildford on 12 August 2013.

The IPCC investigation found Mr McLean was left alone in the back of a police van for a short period following his arrest and it is likely that he consumed cocaine during this time, having concealed it on his body.

Investigators found a police call handler failed to pass information held on Mr McLean to police officers at the scene which could have impacted on their decision to leave him in the police van unsupervised, handcuffed to the front and without having been strip-searched.

Mr McLean was later taken to Guildford Police Station, where he became unwell. The IPCC investigation found Mr McLean may have had a better chance of survival if he had been taken straight to hospital by police at this stage, rather than waiting for an ambulance.

The investigation identified further issues, including an ambulance driver getting lost and miscommunication between police and health officials over the type of drugs Mr McLean was thought to have consumed. This was despite the fact Mr McLean communicated that he had taken cocaine once he became unwell at the station.

Mr McLean died in hospital on 14 August 2013.

As a result of the IPCC investigation, Surrey Police held a misconduct meeting in respect of one police constable, who was given a written warning after it was found he failed to pass on information from the Police National Computer about Mr McLean to colleagues.

The IPCC recommended that a police sergeant and a member of civilian police staff should also face disciplinary action and Surrey Police has provided both with additional training.

The investigation would also have recommended that a further police constable should have faced disciplinary action had she not subsequently resigned from the force.

IPCC Commissioner Jennifer Izekor said:

“Our investigation highlighted several missed opportunities by Surrey Police in their dealings with Jan McLean which, if they had been acted on, may have impacted on the eventual tragic outcome.

“Our investigation identified individual failings which have been dealt with through internal disciplinary procedures. We also made a number of recommendations to Surrey Police on improvements to their procedures and I am pleased they have accepted these.

“We have shared the report with Mr McLean’s family and our thoughts remain with them.”

As well as the family, copies of the IPCC report have also been provided to Surrey Police and the coroner.

In addition to the formal investigation report, the IPCC also provided Surrey Police with a Learning Report identifying areas where the force could improve its practices. Among the areas identified for improvement were:

• Revision of guidance around the supervision of detainees in police vehicles
• Making sure officers know when detainees can be taken directly to hospital
• Making sure officers can adequately identify when someone has taken drugs/poison

Surrey Police has acknowledged the findings of the IPCC report and has committed to deliver all the recommendations outlined in the report.

An inquest into Mr McLean’s death was held in June 2015 and recorded a narrative verdict.

The investigation report can be found here.

The recommendations can be found here.