Deaths during or following police contact

These statistics provide details of the deaths reported on by the IPCC in each financial year, and also present figures on those suicides following release from police custody which were reported to the IPCC. Data can be updated annually, so please use the trend figures from the latest report.

If you have any questions or comments about the annual death report, please contact the Research Team - research@ipcc.gsi.gov.uk.

Refer to the contact us page for further IPCC contact details.

2012/13

Following a recommendation from the National Statisticians review, we are currently consulting with the UK Statistics Authority with regard to designating the 2012/13 annual death report (and subsequent releases) as National Statistics. The assessment is ongoing and is hoped to be completed in time for the release of the next annual report.

The Code of Practice for Official Statistics requires producers of statistical reports to publish a number of statements and policies in relation to their outputs. The policies and statements document is a collection of those policies which relate to the IPCC annual death report. This includes information on our user engagement strategy, quality assurance, pre-release access and managing revisions to the data presented in the report.

Information on key users of the data and how it has been used can be found in the user engagement feedback document. This also summarises any feedback received on the annual death report, the IPCC’s response and any impact this may have on the information contained in the report or the data collection process. This document will be updated with future feedback, our response and impact. For information on our user engagement strategy, refer to the policies and statements document.

The 2012/13 annual death report is expected to be published in July 2013.

2011/12

Deaths during or following police contact: Statistics for England and Wales 2011/12
ODS format - Deaths during or following police contact: Data tables for 2011/12 deaths following police contact figures
Table A1.4 of the report and the associated Excel table was amended in July 2012 following the identification of an anomaly in the force data. Since publication of the report we have been made aware of an additional fatal road traffic incident (RTI) which increases the total number of road traffic fatalities in 2011/12 from 18 to 19 deaths. This revised total will be included in the trend figures of the 2012/13 report due to be published in summer 2013.
Following a recommendation from the National Statistician’s review, the IPCC has produced a guidance document that provides additional detailed information on how they collate and categorise deaths for inclusion in the annual report.

2010/11

2009/10

Deaths during or following police contact: Statistics for England and Wales 2009/10
ODS format - Deaths during or following police contact: Data tables for 2009/10 deaths following police contact figures
The IPCC has conducted an eleven-year study into deaths in or following police custody. The study looks at trends in the incidents, and examines a range of themes including risk assessment, restraint and mental health. The report identifies lessons that can be learnt and makes recommendations for police forces and the health service to improve practice in this area.

2008/09

2007/08

Deaths during or following police contact: Statistics for England and Wales 2007/08

2006/07

Deaths during or following police contact: Statistics for England and Wales 2006/07

2005/06

Deaths during or following police contact: Statistics for England and Wales 2005/06
Please note: this updated version of the report has a minor amendment to Table 2.1 on page 8

2004/05

Deaths during or following police contact: Statistics for England and Wales 2004/05

The National Statistician’s independent review of IPCC statistics on deaths

In February 2012, the Chief Executive of the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) requested that the National Statistician conduct an independent statistical review of the IPCC’s official statistics on deaths during or following police contact after some criticism of the figures in the media.

Following her two-month review, the National Statistician, Jil Matheson concluded that the figures are produced using a rigorous and consistent process and that the criticisms made in the media were unsupported.

Her full report can be downloaded here.

Also see...

Near miss project - In 2007 the IPCC published the findings of its study of near misses in police custody: a collaborative study with Forensic Medical Examiners in London.

Related non-IPCC research

29 March 2004
The Role of Alcohol in Police-Related Deaths
The PCA's study on The Role of Alcohol in Police-Related Deaths reviews 32 cases where alcoholic drinks played a part.

June 2003
Safer Restraint
Conference report on reducing the risks of restraint deaths.