Forty-two people were killed in road traffic accidents involving the police in England and Wales last year, the highest number in more than a decade and the third highest on record.
Thirty deaths occurred during police pursuits, an increase of 13 on the previous year and the highest since 32 in 2005-06. That was the worst year on record for police-related road traffic accidents, with 48 deaths.
Twelve of the 2018-19 fatalities were drivers of vehicles being pursued, including one motorcyclist. Eight were passengers in the car being pursued, seven were the driver or passenger of a vehicle hit by the car being pursued, and three were pedestrians hit by the pursued vehicle.
Four people were killed when they were hit by police vehicles responding to an emergency call. Another death occurred when an unmarked police car responding to an emergency call collided with another vehicle.
Twenty-seven of those killed were men and 15 women. Twenty-two were aged between 18 and 30, and eight over 60. The oldest victim was a 93-year-old pedestrian, who police said appeared to fall in “very close proximity” to a van on patrol. Details of the youngest were not given.
The figures were published in a statistical release from the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), the police watchdog, which recorded 276 deaths during or following police contact in the 2018-19 financial year, down from 288 the year before.
Sixteen people died in or following police custody, down from a 10-year high of 23 in 2017-18. Of them, 10 were identified as having mental health concerns and 13 were known to have a link to alcohol or drugs. Six had force used against them either by officers or members of the public before their deaths.
Three people were fatally shot by police, including one man who was unarmed and trying to flee a police raid on a property where no guns were found.
Sixty-three of the deaths were apparent suicides following custody, a small increase on the previous year. Twenty-one of those who died had been arrested for alleged sexual offences, 15 of them against children, in line with average figures, according to the IOPC.
There were 152 “other” deaths, those following direct or indirect police contact that led to an independent investigation. Seven involved people under 18, and eight had force used against them, of whom two were black and two were “mixed heritage”. Ninety were reported to be intoxicated at the time of the incident or had known issues in this area, and 104 were reported to have mental health concerns.
Deborah Coles, the director of Inquest, which supports the families of people who have died after contact with police, said: “The Angiolini review made pragmatic recommendations to ensure safer responses to people with mental ill health and addictions.
“Two years on, the government reports little progress in these areas. The fact that the majority of recent deaths relate to these vulnerabilities shows the cost of such failures, and the importance of a public health-focused response.
“At a time when all political parties are promising additional police on the streets, our ongoing casework shows that more police numbers are not the answer to public safety. Ultimately to prevent further deaths and harm, we must look beyond policing and redirect resources into community, health, welfare and specialist services.”
