Police considered custody practices after self-harm attempt in Bay of Plenty
The Authority oversaw a Police review of how staff in custody managed a detainee who attempted to self-harm. The man was intoxicated and aggressive towards his partner and was detained for breaching a Police Safety Order. Due to his behaviour, he was placed in a high-risk cell at the Police station. Police saw him attempt to self-harm and took appropriate steps to prevent this, including getting an assessment by the Mental Health crisis team.
Police conducted a review of the incident and found that the initial risk evaluation did not take the man's previous history into account as it should have done. That would have resulted in the man being constantly monitored while in custody.
Police conducted a debrief of the incident with relevant staff to ensure lessons were learned form the incident. The Authority considers the steps taken by Police in response to this incident were appropriate.