Police Association president Chris Cahill, left, meets with researchers Dr Ross Hendy, Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice Layla Skinns, of Sheffield University, and Associate Professor of Criminology Abi Dymond, of Exeter University, about their planned investigation into the causes and mitigation of deaths in police custody.
Association president Chris Cahill recently met with an international group of researchers who plan to investigate the causes and mitigation of deaths in custody in New Zealand, Australia, Scotland and England.
The long-term project is in its embryonic stages, says team leader and former New Zealand police officer Dr Ross Hendy, who is now a lecturer in criminology at Melbourne’s Monash University.
The team is in the midst of laying the groundwork and engaging with relevant parties, including the New Zealand Police Association, Ross says. The researchers have already spoken to police custody professionals and managers in England and Scotland, asking the “end users” how the research could be useful to them.
That approach is critical because “there is no point putting together academic research that will have little or zero value to those on the ground”, Ross says.
“We are aiming for our research to improve the experience of detainees and practitioners alike.”
‘Let’s stop the blame game'
Acknowledging that the wait will be worth it, Chris says he told the researchers they have the full support of the association.
“From our members’ perspective, anyone dying in police custody is a major concern. There are still too many of them. The more information we have, the better we are able to make environmental adjustments such as changes in training, and improvements in the condition of cells,” Chris says.
“Custody training is very limited at the Police College and easily forgotten about because it’s not something they are practising. Then, for many, the training for general officers in the district is through online modules.
“Most custody units have authorised officers (AOs) who have had a couple of weeks’ training. However, what often happens is that a uniformed sergeant with no custody suite training is sent to relieve in the custody units.”
He says a relatively recent review by Police identified that area commanders and district commanders did not realise how much risk they were carrying with custody units.
“When something goes wrong, the officers working come under intense scrutiny, and rightly so. But there doesn’t seem to be the scrutiny on what created the environment in which these officers didn’t recognise the risk, or didn’t follow the procedures,” Chris says.
“It’s all about blame and punishment and you don’t get results out of that. It needs to be restorative and educational. Knowledge of the environment, the people who are coming into it and how they are treated when they arrive would help identify key triggers.
“Intervention is the key. Creating a safe environment with more understanding than we have at present can only be advantageous for our members who collectively manage more than 120,000 people in custody each year.”
Challenging project
Research across four countries has challenges. In this case that includes defining what “custody” means. For some it includes apprehensions, which means the statistics are higher than they would be for deaths in cells alone.
Deaths that occur following detention may also be included, such as someone on bail dying. This is a particularly high-risk scenario for a person charged with sexual offences, and especially those involving children.
The researchers are also interested in “near misses” – attempted suicides that are prevented through intervention.
Detainment of people with mental health issues is a common concern. Chris told the researchers that the association has pushed very hard on this issue given the complexities in dealing with an unwell person suffering a mental health crisis while in custody.
“They really shouldn’t be anywhere near cells. They might be there for a criminal reason, but we know those with a mental health medical condition shouldn’t be in a cell.”
He says, where possible, custody should sit with Corrections.
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