Independent Police Complaints Commission said to lack 'empathy, sensitivity and compassion' regarding deaths
Bereaved families have criticised the police watchdog – the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) – saying its members lack "empathy, sensitivity and compassion" when investigating deaths in police custody.
In an IPCC report into the way the commission handles inquiries, relatives said they "felt they and those who had died were wrongly characterised or unfairly judged". And the report noted the impression that police receive more favourable treatment than members of the public.
The report, published on Monday, called for better training for IPCC staff on issues related to race and ethnicity, mental health and learning disabilities.
It was welcomed by Marcia Rigg, the sister of Sean Rigg, a 40-year-old musician with mental health problems who died in police custody in 2008. But she said the watchdog has "not won the families over yet".
The review identified mental health as a major issue in many of the deaths in police custody the IPCC investigates.
About half of the people who died in those circumstances in 2012-13, and almost two-thirds of those who apparently took their own lives afterwards, are known to have had mental health concerns.
The 111-page report also detailed concerns raised over "insufficient attention to detail and a failure to gather and collate all evidence or to pursue all reasonable lines of inquiry".
The IPCC's review added: "Families, their representatives and police officers criticised us for taking too long to complete investigations, leading to added stress for all involved."
It also set out a series of proposals designed to improve IPCC investigations, including making police officers attend witness interviews as soon as possible after an incident.
The charity Inquest contributed to the research. Its co-director, Deborah Coles, said: "The absence of a robust police watchdog has allowed corruption and dangerous practices to go unchecked.
"Family and public confidence will only be achieved if the IPCC delivers an investigation process that ensures wrongdoing, misconduct and poor practice is uncovered and police are properly held to account.
Marcia Rigg said: "We hope all the recommendations are implemented without delay, and that as well as helping us the review will help other families and lead to effective change in the way deaths in police custody are investigated."
She criticised the original inquiry into her brother's death as a "Mickey Mouse investigation".
She said: "In the initial stages, a lot of our questions were not answered.
"We were very concerned as to why the officers were not being interviewed immediately and we were very concerned that the officers were allowed to collude over their statements of fact whereas an ordinary member of the public would certainly not be allowed to do that. We found that very insensitive."
The IPCC review said there were some reported examples of good practice in the commission's engagement with bereaved families.
With reference to issues of discrimination, the watchdog said it would, in all cases, consider whether this required investigation.
It also said it was providing ongoing refresher training for both investigators and casework managers over how to deal with allegations of discrimination. Reported by guardian.co.uk 5 hours ago.
Bereaved families have criticised the police watchdog – the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) – saying its members lack "empathy, sensitivity and compassion" when investigating deaths in police custody.
In an IPCC report into the way the commission handles inquiries, relatives said they "felt they and those who had died were wrongly characterised or unfairly judged". And the report noted the impression that police receive more favourable treatment than members of the public.
The report, published on Monday, called for better training for IPCC staff on issues related to race and ethnicity, mental health and learning disabilities.
It was welcomed by Marcia Rigg, the sister of Sean Rigg, a 40-year-old musician with mental health problems who died in police custody in 2008. But she said the watchdog has "not won the families over yet".
The review identified mental health as a major issue in many of the deaths in police custody the IPCC investigates.
About half of the people who died in those circumstances in 2012-13, and almost two-thirds of those who apparently took their own lives afterwards, are known to have had mental health concerns.
The 111-page report also detailed concerns raised over "insufficient attention to detail and a failure to gather and collate all evidence or to pursue all reasonable lines of inquiry".
The IPCC's review added: "Families, their representatives and police officers criticised us for taking too long to complete investigations, leading to added stress for all involved."
It also set out a series of proposals designed to improve IPCC investigations, including making police officers attend witness interviews as soon as possible after an incident.
The charity Inquest contributed to the research. Its co-director, Deborah Coles, said: "The absence of a robust police watchdog has allowed corruption and dangerous practices to go unchecked.
"Family and public confidence will only be achieved if the IPCC delivers an investigation process that ensures wrongdoing, misconduct and poor practice is uncovered and police are properly held to account.
Marcia Rigg said: "We hope all the recommendations are implemented without delay, and that as well as helping us the review will help other families and lead to effective change in the way deaths in police custody are investigated."
She criticised the original inquiry into her brother's death as a "Mickey Mouse investigation".
She said: "In the initial stages, a lot of our questions were not answered.
"We were very concerned as to why the officers were not being interviewed immediately and we were very concerned that the officers were allowed to collude over their statements of fact whereas an ordinary member of the public would certainly not be allowed to do that. We found that very insensitive."
The IPCC review said there were some reported examples of good practice in the commission's engagement with bereaved families.
With reference to issues of discrimination, the watchdog said it would, in all cases, consider whether this required investigation.
It also said it was providing ongoing refresher training for both investigators and casework managers over how to deal with allegations of discrimination. Reported by guardian.co.uk 5 hours ago.