DOZENS of people have died after contact with Hampshire police in the last five years, new figures show.

Every year, figures from the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) show the number of deaths following contact with police forces in England and Wales.

The IOPC also investigates complaints about police forces.

Its data shows that between April 2017 and March this year, 27 people died after contact with Hamsphire Constabulary.

Two of these were in 2021-22.

Of the deaths recorded since 2017, five happened in police custody, and two were the result of road traffic accidents involving police.

Another 11 deaths after contact happened during other incidents that the IOPC has investigated, which can include police helping medical staff to restrain someone, or if officers are called to an incident that resulted in a death.

There were also nine apparent suicides which happened after police contact.

The figures come as the Police Action Centre warns that police need to be better trained in de-escalating situations.

Director General of the IOPC, Michael Lockwood, said each death is a "tragedy".

He said that a "system-wide" response was needed to tackle deaths in police custody, as many who lost their lives in the last year had issues with mental health, drug and alcohol.

"We need to make sure that appropriate health and social services are available to meet the needs of those in crisis, particularly in response to issues of mental health," he said.

"We also need to ensure police custody is as safe as possible, and to better train officers to de-escalate in conflict situations where feasible."

Sophie Khan is the director of legal and policy at Police Action Centre, which provides advice on police misconduct.

She said the figures suggest a "serious lack of training" among police forces, particularly on dealing with mental health.

Nev Kemp, lead for custody at the National Police Chiefs' Council, which represents senior police staff, said incidents are "always fully investigated, scrutinised and lessons are learnt".

"Whilst we cannot eliminate all risks, we aim to ensure that those that find themselves in custody are cared for, treated fairly, with as much dignity as possible," he added.

A Hampshire police spokesman said: "Any death following police contact is investigated by our Professional Standards department and also referred to the IOPC."

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