Police criticised over cell death

Police have been criticised for leaving a drunk man alone in a police cell for seven and half hours before he was found dead.
The Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) today found that police failed to provide a proper "duty of care'' to 43-year-old Spanish national Francisco Javier de Larratea Soler, 43, at Whakatane Police Station.
Mr de Larratea Soler was taken to the police station to sober up after he was found lying drunk and confused on the footpath in Eivers Rd, Whakatane, on December 19, 2008.
He was put in a police cell but not checked for seven and a half hours when he was found dead.
The IPCA said that police were justified in taking Mr de Larratea Soler into custody for his own protection and for him to sober up after he had taken methadone, alcohol and an anti-insomnia drug.
"However, police did not comply with their own policies when assessing the risks to his health and wellbeing while in custody and the risk evaluation process itself was also flawed and inadequate,'' it said.
-NZPA