AN annual independent report shows West Mercia Police had three deaths during or following custody last year.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission’s (IPCC) report says there were two deaths categorised as ‘apparent suicides following custody’, in Shropshire and one in Worcestershire.
It also records the death, following police custody, of Colin Ranford in April last year. We previously reported the death of Mr Ranford, aged 51, of Lea Bank Drive, Northwick, Worcester, which remains the subject of an IPCC investigation.
A West Mercia Police spokesman said: “There was one suicide of a man in Worcestershire following a period in custody, but the involvement of the police was subsequently found not to have been a factor in his death. The death of a man following custody is the subject of an IPCC report, and we cannot comment further about that at this time.”
