IAPDC and NPCC lead project on post-police custody suicides

In January, the IAPDC and National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) hosted a roundtable event on the prevention of suicide following police custody. Every year, the number of people who die following release from police custody is consistently high. In 2022/23, an average of one person per week died by suicide within 48 hours of release from police custody. The tragically high number of deaths points to a worrying gap in support in the immediate aftermath of custody.

The roundtable brought together expertise across government departments, policing, health, local government, and voluntary sector organisations. The discussion explored data and themes emerging from post-custody suicides, the importance of lived experience in informing suicide prevention initiatives, and effective police and voluntary sector partnership. Issues including the robustness and consistency of pre-release risk assessments, challenges faced by police forces and other stakeholders in providing support, and joining up support were also considered by participants.

This project builds on the Panel’s 2022 report on preventing deaths at point of, during, and after police custody. The report makes a series of recommendations to improve support for vulnerable individuals who are released from custody. It also highlights the need to improve collaboration across agencies to better support people experiencing a mental health crisis, as well as the need to better share and embed learning. 

To drive forward the findings and recommendations from the roundtable, the IAPDC and NPCC are working with stakeholders to produce ‘good practice’ guidance. An important part of this will be how force areas can work with partners at a local level to deliver support to vulnerable individuals leaving police custody. You can access a thematic digest of the roundtable here.