Dozens have died following Derbyshire Police contact over last five years

The figures come as the Police Action Centre warns that police need to be better trained in de-escalating difficult situations.

Every year the Independent Office for Police Conduct releases figures on the number of deaths following contact with police forces in England and Wales.

They show between April 2017 and March of this year 24 people died after contact with Derbyshire Constabulary – including six in 2021-22.

Of the deaths recorded since 2017, three happened in police custody, and five were the result of road traffic accidents involving police.

There were also three apparent suicides which happened after police contact – and Derbyshire Constabulary was also involved in a suicide that happened after contact with the British Transport Police.

A further 13 deaths that involved Derbyshire Constabulary occurred during other incidents that the IOPC has investigated – which can include police helping medical staff to restrain someone or if officers are called to an incident that ultimately results in a fatality.

Another police force was also involved in one of these incidents.

The organisation warns that as the figures include deaths that it has investigated, they may not cover every death that has occurred after police contact.

Responding to the findings, a Derbyshire Constabulary spokesman said the contact officers have with someone could be at the very point the person died – or could be many hours, days, or even weeks before their death.

He said: “Across Derbyshire Constabulary officers and staff work tirelessly each day to ensure the safety of the people of our county.

“However, there are instances where deaths following contact with the force do occur.

“Following each death in which officers have had prior contact the force reviews the incident to establish if the police contact may have caused or contributed to the death by action, or inaction, which then may result in a mandatory referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

"All the circumstances of the persons death are independently reviewed by the IOPC and the force works with the organisation to understand where lessons can be learnt.

"Where misconduct may be identified then the force will ensure that any officer or staff member is dealt with through the appropriate disciplinary procedures.”

Director General of the IOPC, Michael Lockwood, said that each death was a "tragedy".

He welcomed the drop in deaths in police custody – falling from 19 across the country in 2020-21 to 11 last year – but added that there had been a concerning rise in deaths from road traffic accidents.

Across England and Wales there were 39 fatalities in road traffic accidents involving police in the year to March, compared to 25 the year before – although Derbyshire Constabulary were involved in none of them.

Mr Lockwood added that a "system-wide" response was necessary to tackle deaths in police custody, highlighting that mental health, drug and alcohol problems are prevalent among those who have lost their lives in the last year.

"We need to make sure that appropriate health and social services are available to meet the needs of those in crisis, particularly in response to issues of mental health.

"We also need to ensure police custody is as safe as possible, and to better train officers to de-escalate in conflict situations where feasible," he said.

Sophie Khan, director of legal and policy at Police Action Centre, which provides advice on police misconduct, said the figures suggest a “serious lack of training” among police forces, particularly on dealing with mental health crises.

She added that a culture of self-preservation needs to be tackled within police forces in order to avoid preventable deaths.

Nev Kemp, lead for custody at the National Police Chiefs' Council, which represents senior police staff, said incidents are "always fully investigated, scrutinised and lessons are learnt”.

"While we cannot eliminate all risks, we aim to ensure that those that find themselves in custody are cared for, treated fairly, with as much dignity as possible," he added.