Background: In 2002 the Politiarrestprosjektet (a police custody project in Norway) examined deaths in Norwegian police cells during the period from 1993 to 2001. They found a total of 36 deaths, 16 of which were due either to acute alcohol poisoning or to head injuries suffered by people who had been detained for intoxication. A range of preventive measures were proposed. We have now reviewed deaths in the period from 2003 to 2012 and compared them with the first study.
Material and method: We asked all police districts in Norway to submit information about deaths in police cells from 2003 up to and including 2012. Autopsy reports, police reports and reports from the Norwegian Bureau for the Investigation of Police Affairs were requested.
Results: Altogether 11 deaths were reported, i.e. an average of 1.1 deaths per year. The most usual cause of death with six fatalities was a combination of toxic substances. Three deaths were due to suicide, one was a natural death, and one was due to acute alcohol poisoning. There were no deaths due to head injuries related to intoxication.
Interpretation: The number of deaths in Norwegian police cells has declined considerably. It is primarily the number of alcohol-related deaths that has fallen.