Ian Taylor
(Picture: Hodge Jones and Allen)Police should not face disciplinary proceedings over the death of a Londoner who told officers he could not breathe after his arrest, a watchdog has said.
Ian Taylor, a 54-year-old Black British musician, died in June 2019 after being detained on Coldharbour Lane in Brixton.
A jury inquest at Southwark Coroner’s Court found the police risk assessment was inadequate and Mr Taylor’s severe asthma was exacerbated by situational stress.
The coroner referred a police officer who was recorded as dismissing Mr Taylor’s complaints of being unable to breathe to his sergeant as “blah, blah, blah ... all a load of nonsense” to the police watchdog for investigation.
Senior coroner Andrew Harris also expressed surprise that police had not considered driving Mr Taylor to a nearby hospital themselves after calling for an ambulance and hearing of lengthy delays.
Despite that, on Thursday the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said it had found no evidence any officers involved “may have committed a criminal offence or behaved in a manner that would justify the bringing of disciplinary proceedings”.
In a report released this week, it said that while officers incorrectly believed they could not take Mr Taylor to hospital themselves, “there is no evidence that any action on the part of a police officer may have caused or contributed to the death”.
One of the seven officers involved was made to undertake “a reflective practice review” over his comments, said Scotland Yard. This is not a form of disciplinary process.
Lambeth Council called the finding “deeply disappointing”, saying Mr Taylor’s death “traumatised his family and shocked the local community”.
“That pain was laid bare during a community meeting at Lambeth Town Hall in July when his relatives spoke with searing honesty and clarity about their tragic loss,” said Cllr Mahamed Hashi, Cabinet Member for Safer Communities.
He added: “This latest announcement is deeply disappointing, and makes very clear that much more must be done to change the culture of policing.”
Speaking at the community meeting last month, MP for Dulwich and West Norwood, Helen Hayes, condemned what she called the “gross failure” of responding officers over Mr Taylor’s death.
She also called upon the-then acting police head, Sir Stephen House, to investigate what role “racism may have played in the way that Ian Taylor was treated”.
Chief Superintendent Colin Wingrove, the most senior officer in Lambeth, repeated an “unreserved apology” to Mr Taylor’s family for the officer’s comments, saying they lacked “care, compassion and respect”.
“When we deal with any incident, especially when someone needs our help, we expect the highest professional standards and care, treating people with dignity and respect,” he said.
“This is what the public rightly expect from their police service and I am sorry we did not meet those high standards in every respect when responding to Mr Taylor.”
He said he acknowledged the impact on Mr Taylor’s friends and family, and said his officers would work with them and the wider community to respond to their concerns and to “rebuild trust and confidence”.
He added: “We are improving the training provided to officers to equip them with the skills they need to keep the public safe and provide the very best service we can.”
