The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) recorded 118 deaths during or following police contact in 2005/06.

The annual statistics are published today in Deaths During or Following Police Contact: Statistics for England and Wales 2005/06.

There were 48 individual fatalities as a result of police-related road traffic incidents compared to 44 in 2004/05. However, there was one less road traffic incident than in 2004/05 as more incidents led to multiple fatalities.

Five men died in fatal shooting incidents. Twenty-eight people died in or after being in police custody, compared with 36 the previous year. A further 37 people died during or after other police contact.

The IPCC decided it was necessary to be involved in the investigation of 95 of the 118 deaths which occurred during 2005/06. The others were investigated locally by the force concerned.

IPCC Chair Nick Hardwick said:

"The material contained within this report is presented dispassionately. However, we are mindful of the grief and trauma that lies behind each statistic. These are terrible events for all concerned.

"The IPCC would much rather prevent than investigate a death. Over the last year we have sought to reduce these figures in a number of ways. This includes developing a system that will collate, share and monitor recommendations from IPCC and police investigations into these deaths. The system includes the creation of a group of statutory stakeholders who will review recommendations with the aim of ensuring that lessons are fed back into day-to-day policing at both a local and national level.

"The IPCC has also played a role in developing the Forum for Preventing Deaths in Custody. This forum, which includes representatives from criminal and health care agencies, aims to share best practice and reduce deaths across custodial settings."

Road Traffic Incidents:

In 2005/06 there were 42 police-related road traffic incidents that resulted in the deaths of 48 individuals. Forty of those who died were male. The average age was 31 years, while 16 people were under 21 years of age. Six of those who died were reported to be from minority ethnic groups.

Thirty-two of the individuals died during or shortly after a police pursuit and seven people died when a vehicle seemingly made off at speed from a patrolling vehicle or failed to stop when asked to do so by officers.

Fatal shootings:

Three of the five men fatally shot by police in 2005/06 were White. The age of those who died ranged from 24 to 47 years. All five fatalities have been investigated independently by the Commission.

Deaths in or following police custody:

During 2005/06, 28 deaths occurred in or following police custody. Of these 23 were White. Six of those who died were female.

Three people died in the custody suite and two people died while being arrested. A further 23 were identified as injured or unwell while in custody or during arrest and died later in hospital. In one of these cases, the death resulted from an apparent suicide attempt in a police cell.

Twenty-one of the 28 individuals were known to have consumed, be in possession of, or were known drug or alcohol misusers. Two of the people who died had been detained under Section 136 of the Mental Health Act, while a further four individuals were known to have some form of mental health needs.

Deaths during or following other police contact:

Of the 37 who died during or following other police contact, 10 were White females. Of the 27 men, 23 were White, three were Black and one individual was Mixed Race. The average age of those who died was 38 years.

The deaths included in this category span a diverse range of circumstances and so it is difficult to identify one specific set of circumstances which accounts for the increase of 13 deaths from 2004/05. The broad boundaries of the definition also means that, out of all the deaths categories, this is the most likely to fluctuate over time.

The circumstances of the deaths included self-inflicted deaths in siege situations, attempts to avoid arrest or allegations that there were police delays in the response to violent incidents.

Over the last two years the most common type of death in this category is alleged murders which occurred shortly after an individual had contacted police for help following concerns about their own or another's safety.

Apparent Suicides following Release from Custody:

The IPCC presents figures on suicides following release from police custody separately from the overall figures due to inconsistencies in the reporting of these deaths to the IPCC.

In 2005/06 the IPCC reported 40 apparent suicides following release from police custody. Fourteen of these people were reported to have mental health needs. Ten of those who died were arrested for a sexual offence.

Findings:

The report found that:

94 out of 118 (80%) of those who died were male;
101 (86%) were White;
5 were Asian;
7 were Black;
4 were Mixed Race; and
1 was from any other ethnic group
Nick Hardwick added: "The Commission assessed every death that occurred to decide how best to investigate it. Eighteen were independently investigated and we managed 47 inquires and supervised another 30."