Coroner Calls For Revamp Of Police Detention Cells

A Coroner's Court on Friday looking into the death of an arrested man at the North Point police station in 2016 have called for a number of changes to detention room at police stations.

The court and a five-member jury found that the man arrested for indecent assault had used his blanket to hang himself.

The report said detention rooms should have an electronic system installed for officers to record their periodic checks done by officers and it should issue alerts if checks are not done for over 25 minutes.

They court recommended that suspects should be moved to different rooms from time to time. It said this should prevent suspects from finding ways to use objects to hurt themselves.

The coroner has referred the case to the Justice Department and police to look into the relevant police patrol records and its reliability.

Detention system came under spotlight after by the suicides by suspects in police custody. A 48-year-old man accused of rape was found hanging in a cell at Sau Mau Ping police station in May last year.