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Police say they acknowledge the findings by the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) in relation to the death of an Auckland man in June 2021.
The 43-year-old man was admitted into Auckland Hospital on June 11 with abdominal pain and shortness of breath.
Hospital staff located a concealed package in his clothing and alerted police who attended and found it contained over 24 grams of methamphetamine.
The following day medical staff discharged the man into police custody.
He was taken to the Auckland Police Custody Unit until his appearance in court the following day on a charge of possessing methamphetamine.
He was arrested by police that evening and they say CCTV shows the man is walking unaided, compliant and co-operative.
Police say in the custody unit he was talking with officers and placed into a cell at about 6.30pm and put on two-hourly checks.
Police staff had an overview of why he had been in hospital and that he was likely under the influence of illegal substances, they say.
However, they believed his health was in a stable condition given he had just been discharged by a medical professional into police custody.
Police say officers checked on the man through the night and spoke with him just before 9pm.
Shortly after midnight, they found the man unresponsive.
An ambulance was called and police staff commenced CPR.
He was taken to Auckland Hospital where he died a short time later.
The IPCA found police officers should have conducted more frequent checks on the man, recognised he was deteriorating and provided quicker medical assistance when they realised he was unresponsive.
The IPCA notes that expert medical opinion indicates the man’s death may have been unavoidable, regardless of where he was, police say.
WorkSafe filed a charge against New Zealand Police relating to the death but withdrew it in August of last year.
Relieving Auckland City Police District Commander, inspector Grae Anderson, says police are responsible for more than 120,000 people who come in their custody units across the country each year in an often challenging and complex environment.
“Police have a duty of care to those who come into our custody, and we acknowledge there were learnings from this incident,” says Anderson.
“As a direct result of what occurred, police have updated training to staff and now ensure that we give stronger weighting to recent hospital admissions when assessing the level of care required for a detainee in similar circumstances.”
Police says they remain committed to continuous improvement in custody units and have implemented a raft of significant changes over the past few years.
“Including the creation of a National Custody Team (NCT) which provides national oversight of the policy, practice, and training for all police staff,” Anderson says.
“Police continue to work with all relevant stakeholders including WorkSafe, and the IPCA to look for opportunities to constantly improve our approach to the custody of people detained by police.”
