IOPC Publish custody deaths statistics for England and Wales 2023-2024

4WardEverUK • 20 October 2024

all credits: IOPC

published: 17 October 2024

Image Credit: Freerange Stock Archives at www.FreerangeStock.com


In October 2024 the Independent Office for Police Misconduct (IOPC) released details of their custody deaths statistics for England and Wales 2023-2024.


The following content is transcribed from the IOPC website.

Deaths during or following police contact
"Published for the 20th year, the statistics provide an official record setting out the number of such deaths, the circumstances in which they happen, and any underlying factors. Figures across the different categories can fluctuate each year, and any conclusions about trends need to be treated with caution."

The report shows:


There were 24 deaths in or following police custody, an increase of one from 2022/23, and the highest figure since 2006/07:



  • Fifteen people were taken ill or were identified as being unwell in a police cell. Eleven were taken to hospital where they later died. Four people died in a police custody suite.
  • Six people were taken ill at the scene of arrest. Three people were taken to hospital, where they later died. Three people died at the scene.
  • Two men were taken ill in a police vehicle, and were taken to hospital where they died.
  • One woman died following release from police custody. Post arrest she had been taken to hospital for treatment for facial injuries and then returned to custody. She died three days after release.


Read more here >

Download report here >

share this article on social media

Woman blocks face with her hands
by 4WardEverUK 23 June 2026
A new UN human rights report details the brutality and scale of conflict-related sexual violence in Sudan since war erupted in April 2023 and its profound, long-term impacts on victims.
Legal Gavel on a book
by 4WardEverUK 23 June 2026
A senior judge has warned of the dangers of the use of artificial intelligence in the legal system as she says justice is threatened by fake evidence, invented case law and the potential for judicial bias.
Black Lives Matter demonstration in the US
by 4WardEverUK 23 June 2026
Making Juneteenth a federal holiday in 2021 was a long overdue recognition that on June 19, 1865, enslaved Black people were finally liberated in Galveston in the State of Texas.
police line crime scene
by 4WardEverUK 23 June 2026
The Independent Office for Police Conduct said Angelo Russo, 41, died from a gunshot wound to the chest on 12 May after he was seen 'waving what appeared to be a pistol-type weapon.'
Protest in London
by 4WardEverUK 22 June 2026
The Peoples Tribunal on Police Killings (PTPK) are announcing the second session which will focus on police killings across Europe. The session takes place in October 2026, London.
4WardEverUK banner
by 4WardEverUK 1 June 2026
This year marks 20 years since 4WardEverUK was launched in 2006 by Tippa Naphtali the cousin of Mikey Powell who died in the custody of West Midlands police, Birmingham UK, in 2003.
More Articles