Death in police custody reveals deeper problem

Sean Rigg’s condition was deteriorating before his arrest, but he was not subject to a mental health risk assessment and officers did not respond to or recognise his condition, the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said.

It made the admission yesterday, after an inquest jury found earlier this month that officers used “unsuitable” force after arresting Rigg for attacking passers-by and police officers in Balham, south London, on August 21, 2008.

The physically fit 40-year-old musician was being held at Brixton police station when he died of cardiac arrest.

The IPCC accepted it was now considering further evidence which emerged through the inquest and chairwoman Dame Anne Owers will be commissioning an external review of its investigation to assist an overall review of deaths following police contact which is due to begin in September.

IPCC commissioner Amerdeep Somal said: “Sean Rigg’s death is a symptom of a deeper problem: the linkage between mental illness and deaths in or following police custody.”

In a foreword, which acknowledged that half of all deaths in police custody in 2011/12 were of people with mental illness, she noted shortcomings in the IPCC inquiry.

“What is clear, though, is that there was a series of missed opportunities – involving both health and police services – which, if taken, might have altered the outcome,” she wrote.