Fatal shootings by police highest for 13 years, says IPCC report

Six people were fatally shot by police in England and Wales last year – the highest number since the IPCC watchdog began collecting data 13 years ago.

One of the deaths was terror-related – the shooting of Westminster attacker Khalid Masood outside the Houses of Parliament in March.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) figures show that a further 28 people died in connection with police pursuits of vehicles in 2016/17 – more than double the previous year’s total and the highest amount since 2005/06.

In its annual report on deaths during or following police contact, the IPCC also found that 14 people died in or following police custody, the same as in 2015/16 and close to the average since 2009.

IPCC chairwoman Dame Anne Owers said the increase in the number of fatal shootings should be viewed against a total of thousands of firearms operations – 14,700 in 2015/16, the latest year for which figures are known.

She said: "The deaths happened across six forces, and one was terrorism-related.

"Investigations into three of the 2016/17 incidents are complete and, as in the great majority of firearms investigations, we have found no indication of misconduct by any firearms officer."

The IPCC will work with police chiefs to decide whether safety and pursuit training given to officers needs to be changed after a rise in road traffic fatalities, which Dame Anne described as "noticeable".

She said: "None were in response to emergencies, and two-thirds of the people who died were passengers, bystanders or other road users.

"Pursuits are dynamic and fast-moving events, and there are authorised procedures to ensure that they are as safe as possible."

The report revealed 11 of those who died in or following police custody were known to have a link to alcohol and/or drugs, while eight had mental health issues, as did 40 of the 55 people who died by apparent suicide after release from custody.

Dame Anne said "the great majority of those dying both during and immediately after custody are vulnerable" which is a "challenge for policing, but it is also a challenge for the other services that need to be properly resourced to provide support and alternatives to police custody".

The IPCC also investigated 124 other deaths following contact with the police in a wide range of circumstances in 2016/17, up from 102 the previous year.

(c) Sky News 2017: Fatal shootings by police highest for 13 years, says IPCC report