A man has died while in police custody in a Scots town this afternoon.
Officers have launched an investigation after a 49-year-old man passed away at Kirkcaldy Police Station.
The deceased's next of kin have been informed.
Cops say they will now co-operate with a Police Investigations and Review Commissioner probe into the death.
The 49-year-old is understood to be the third person to die in police custody in the Fife town in the last seven years.
Sheku Bayoh died in 2015 after being restrained by up to nine officers in Kirkcaldy.
Bayoh's death sparked controversy and an independent government inquiry following a police investigation.
In September 2020, Marc Hamilton, 36, was found dead in his cell by officers at the Kirkcaldy station.
Hamilton, from Kirkcaldy, was arrested and charged following a stabbing in the Dunearn Drive area of the town the previous day.
The news of the latest death comes on the day of a preliminary hearing into the death of Bayoh in Edinburgh.
Earlier today Bayoh's family reacted with fury over a proposed ban on prosecuting officers using evidence they give at a public inquiry in his death.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "Police Scotland can confirm that a 49-year-old male has died while in custody at Kirkcaldy Police Station.
"The deceased's next of kin have been informed.
"The Police Investigations and Review Commissioner is undertaking a Crown directed investigation into the circumstances and we will fully assist the PIRC with its enquiries.”
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