Home / Sources / IOPC Learning / 2019/122332
Source · IOPC Learning Case

Recommendation - Hertfordshire Constabulary, March 2021

Hertfordshire Constabulary Ref: 2019/122332 Recommended 9 Mar 2021 Response due 4 May 2021
Custody and detention

View on IOPC website ↗

Case background

Text published by the IOPC.

A detainee sustained a serious injury following his arrest and detention for drunk and disorderly behaviour. The detainee was handcuffed to the rear and seated on the bench inside a police van when the cage doors were closed. The officer closing the cage door stopped once notified by another officer but not before the detainee had received an injury to the middle finger on his left hand. The officers provided first aid and transported him to hospital. Here it was confirmed he had received a cut to the bed of the nail, loss of finger nail and a fracture to the tip of the finger.

Recommendations and responses

1 indexed

Recommendation 1

Link to recommendation · Accepted

Addressed to: National Association for Police Fleet Managers

Linked bodies: National Association for Police Fleet Managers

IOPC recommendation

The IOPC recommends that the National Association for Police Fleet Managers (NAPFM) shares advice and guidance on the use of finger trap shields in police vehicles. This should specifically relate to any vehicle fitted with a cage used to transport detained persons.

This follows a case where an individual who was calm and compliant was placed in the back of a police van. When the doors were shut, he sustained a serious injury having got his finger trapped in the cage door hinge. During the consultation period with the NAPFM, the IOPC have been made aware of work that has already begun to highlight this issue and develop guidance.

Response published by the IOPC

Do you accept the recommendation?

Yes

Accepted action:

​This was raised to the NAPFM technical group, which prompted the following actions:-

- The national Technical specifications, as attached (used for any national procurement for current and future cell vans), includes a specific requirement for "anti-finger-trap design hinge". This element will remain a requirement in future designs.
- All fleet managers have been made aware of the issue and asked to check their current cell van fleet.
- A fleet manager helpfully shared the rubber guard and signage used by West-Mids. Police, and this has also been circulated as good practice.
- This is now business as usual, and picked up by the response cell van specification.

Check the original case on the IOPC website