Independent Police Complaints Commission
Printable version |
IPCC investigate Kent Police after man is left in a coma
The IPCC is independently
investigating Kent Police in relation to an incident which has left 38 year old
Denby Collins in a coma.
Kent Police were called to a
house in Gillingham on 15 December 2013 at around 3.20 am after an emergency
call from the residents. When officers arrived they found that at least one of
the residents was restraining Mr Collins, who the police arrested as a
suspected burglar and handcuffed.
Mr Collins was unresponsive
and the South East Coast Ambulance Service attended and Mr Collins was taken to
Medway Maritime Hospital.
In May 2014, Mr Collins was
transferred to the Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability in Putney where he
remains in a hypoxic coma.
IPCC Commissioner Mary Cunneen
said:
"This is clearly a
difficult time for Mr Collins family and I have offered to meet with them to
explain our investigation. My decision to independently investigate follows an
assessment of complaints we have received, on behalf of Mr Collins, against the
available evidence.
"Our investigation will examine the use of force,
includingng handcuffs, by the officers who attended the scene, the intelligence
and information provided to the two initial attending officers and whether the
arrest of Mr Collins was justifiable in the circumstances as they presented
themselves. We will also look at the first aid provided by the officers prior
to the arrival of the ambulance service.”
The IPCC also considered
complaints from Mr Collins’ family relating to the alleged failures of
Kent Police to investigate the injuries sustained by Mr Collins, the
information they provided to his family after the incident and the actions and
decisions of the police once Mr Collins was in hospital. The decision has been
taken that these matters can be investigated by the Kent Police
themselves.
Kent Police referred the
matter to the IPCC on 15 December 2013. IPCC investigators were immediately
sent to Gillingham to carry out an initial assessment of the evidence available
at that time.