A man who died in a Queensland police watch house last week was considered a serious suicide risk but was not checked on for more than an hour after he died, Guardian Australian understands.
Police are conducting an internal investigation into the death of the 30-year-old by suicide inside the Beenleigh police holding cells on Saturday.
The incident has raised questions about the implementation of police procedures and checks, including whether the man should have been under constant observation.
Guardian Australia understands the man was placed in a padded cell monitored by CCTV cameras, located close to the main watch house counter. He was stripped naked and placed in an anti-suicide smock, which is standard practice for detainees considered a heightened risk of self-harm.
Police said in a statement on Saturday the man was discovered dead during a “routine cell check”. But sources and prisoner advocates have questioned why the man had not been under constant observation.
The Queensland police operational procedures manual says a person with “known significant risk factors”, such as actively attempting self-harm, should be placed under “level 4” constant visual supervision.
“The greater the likelihood that a prisoner may suicide or self-harm, the greater the level of supervision and action required to prevent the prisoner suiciding or self-harming,” the police procedures manual says.
Police did not respond to questions about how the man had been classified, or whether the classification by watch house staff was appropriate.
However it is understood the investigation is looking at whether checks were adequate. The Courier-Mail reported this week that the investigation would look into how frequently the man was checked.
Every prisoner – even in the lowest risk category – must be checked at least once an hour. Sources say the fact the man was clearly deemed a risk, and was placed in an anti-suicide smock, raises questions about his monitoring.
Debbie Kilroy, from the prisoner advocacy group Sisters Inside, said more needs to be done to improve conditions inside Queensland’s watch houses.
“Police must be held accountable and responsible for everyone who is put in a watch house. There need to be better checks and balances,” Kilroy said.
“It needs to be investigated by the coroner.”
Police said in a statement the incident was under investigation by the ethical standards command and that “no further comment is available at this time”.
In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is at 988 or chat for support. You can also text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis text line counselor. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org
