Police failed a man who twice tried to kill himself while in custody, investigators find.
In a statement issued by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) earlier this month, it stated that the man was arrested on June 24, 2017, by Dyfed-Powys Police on suspicion of threats to cause criminal damage and was kept in Ammanford custody suite.
During a risk assessment while he was in custody, the man disclosed he had made a number of attempts to kill himself over the past few weeks, and suffered from depression and anxiety.
In the statement, it said: "The custody sergeant recommended that the man be provided with an anti-harm suit. However, custody CCTV footage indicates that no suit was provided.
"Within an hour of being detained, the man was found collapsed and unresponsive in a cell and was taken to hospital for assessment.
"When he returned to custody, the man disclosed to the custody nurse that he had made comments about killing himself in order to get himself released from custody more quickly."
The following day, the man was given access to the exercise yard and his hooded top and trainers were returned to him, according to the IOPC statement. At approximately 3.42pm, he was found collapsed in the exercise yard, having tied his shoelaces and the cord from his top around his neck.
Crossbow recovered from scene of armed police incident in Llanelli where police fired baton rounds
"He was assessed by paramedics and made a full recovery," it continues.
"During the investigation, investigators obtained written responses under misconduct caution from the two custody sergeants who had been on duty when the man collapsed on June 24 and 25.
"Investigators also obtained policies and procedures relating to risk assessments and the provision of replacement clothing in custody.
"The investigation identified a failure in the overall care provided to the detainee and performance issues for five officers."
The IOPC completed its investigation in April, 2018, and said it had found no indication that any person serving with the police might have committed a criminal offence or behaved in a manner that would justify the bringing of disciplinary proceedings.
Find out more about being kept in police custody:
"After reviewing our report, Dyfed-Powys Police proposed to deal with the performance issues of the five officers through management action issued by a senior officer," the statement continues.
"This is to include an in-depth discussion of the investigation report and its findings so that officers can reflect on the incident and learn from it moving forward."
The force also identified opportunities for organisational learning, it said in the statement, which would be passed on to the chief inspector for custody.
Terrified teenager came down from bath after hearing door open, to find strangers in her living room
Dyfed-Powys Police temporary assistant chief constable, Vicki Evans, said safeguarding the public was a priority for the force and that they deeply regretted it when anyone came to harm during or following police contact.
She added: “The force has fully co-operated with the IOPC investigation since June, 2017, and acknowledges their conclusion.
“We are committed to making improvements to the way we do things; appropriate management action has been taken with the officers involved and we will give careful consideration to how we can maximise this opportunity to learn lessons.”
