Probe into suicide scare at Birmingham police station

Nov 27 2009 by Tony Collins, Birmingham Mail

AN ATTEMPTED suicide of a man in custody at a Birmingham police station is to be investigated.

The investigation, which is being carried out by the professional standards department of West Midlands Police, arises from an incident on November 14 when a suspected burglar was found hanging by his coat in Kings Heath police station’s exercise yard. He was quickly cut down and resuscitated.

Police referred the matter to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) who will now manage the investigation.

IPCC commissioner Len Jackson said: “It is a relief that there weren’t more serious consequences from this incident, and it appears that officers acted promptly and professionally to effectively save this man’s life after he was found hanging.

“However I believe further investigation is merited into the circumstances leading up to the incident, the assessments that were made of the man’s condition, and the potential risks he presented.”

The incident arose after a 34-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of burglary and taken to Kings Heath police station.

He was initially placed on constant observation within the custody suite because he was showing signs of mental health issues, and he also intimated self-harm.

He was seen by a police doctor and then a mental health specialist that afternoon.

By lunchtime the following day his condition appeared to have much improved and a police doctor placed him on routine observation.

The man was later granted permission to go to the exercise yard, but an hour later an officer went to the yard and found him hanging by his coat.

The man, who was charged with burglary while in police custody, was transferred by ambulance to hospital where he subsequently made a full recovery.