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DEATH IN POLICE CUSTODY: Kingsley Burrell

FOUR WEST Midlands Police officers have been arrested today (March 22) by investigators from the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) as part of its investigation into the death of Kingsley Burrell.

The arrests come within days of the second anniversary of the 29-year-old trainee security guard’s death on March 31, 2011.

The four police constables were arrested on suspicion of gross negligence, manslaughter and misconduct in a public office after refusing to be interviewed by the IPCC last month. They were arrested on arrival by arrangement at a police station in the West Mercia area today. They are being interviewed under criminal caution by IPCC investigators.

The officers were due to be interviewed by the IPCC on February 20 but, after initially attending the agreed location, left the premises before interviews could take place.

Burrell’s family have been told of today’s developments. They have kept up a long campaign to demand the truth about how the father-of-two died, helping to organise peaceful protests in both Birmingham and London.

The IPCC’s independent investigation into the death of Kingsley Burrell is well-advanced and is expected to conclude shortly. A final investigation report will be compiled and a decision taken as to whether to refer a file of evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service.

The four officers, who placed Burrell while under restraint into a seclusion room at a mental health unit in Birmingham, have previously been interviewed by the IPCC under criminal caution.

A further 10 police officers have been interviewed as witnesses during the course of the investigation. At the request of the IPCC, an investigation into the involvement of non-police personnel is being carried out by Dorset Police. Burrell died in hospital on March 31, 2011.

Over 100 witness statements have been obtained from police officers, medical professionals, ambulance staff and members of the public as part of the IPCC investigation. A number of reports from medical experts have also been gathered.

The IPCC also established a community reference group to assist its investigation, made up of community representatives to whom updates have been provided.
Burrell’s family were finally allowed to hold his funeral last August, almost 18 months after his death.

He was buried in Handsworth Cemetery following a horse-drawn procession along Handsworth’s Soho Road.