Blackburn stop-and-search death PCs acted appropriately - IOPC

The police officers made significant efforts to save Peter Howieson, the police watchdog said

Officers acted appropriately when they detained a man on a mobility scooter who later died, the police watchdog found.

Peter Howieson, 52, was stopped in Blackburn on 24 March 2020 on suspicion of drugs offences, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said.

A Lancashire Police officer tried to stop Mr Howieson swallowing a substance and restrained him, it said.

Mr Howieson became unresponsive shortly afterwards and later died in hospital.

The IOPC said the officer used force to restrain Mr Howieson, striking him and taking him to the ground before handcuffing him with help from two members of the public.

Officers called an ambulance and attempted to administer CPR on Mr Howieson before he was taken to Royal Blackburn Hospital.

The IOPC said a jury at an inquest last week found his death was caused by a combination of natural causes and misadventure.

Mr Howieson suffered from a pre-existing condition, a colloid cyst that meant a sudden movement could be fatal, the IOPC said.

'Efforts to save him'

Following the hearing, the IOPC said it was able to report the findings of its investigation which concluded in March 2021 that the officer's use of force was "proportionate and reasonable".

The IOPC found the officer who restrained Mr Howieson could not reasonably have foreseen he was suffering from a medical condition or how that would impact the risk of using force in that situation.

"We found [the actions of officers] to be appropriate and there was evidence several of those present made significant efforts to save Mr Howieson once it became clear he was unwell," IOPC regional director Amanda Rowe said.

"Our findings were provided to the coroner to assist with the inquest. Having considered the evidence, the jury agreed officers acted lawfully."

The IOPC said it identified learning for the force, which had no policy in place for officers carrying out searches of a person's mouth which has been incorporated into training for officers.

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