Report into Derbyshire dad's death finds lack of training among police officers at drugs raid

A report has found that members of a team of police officers who were at the scene of an arrest where a man died after ingesting cocaine had not received the correct training prior to the incident. Derbyshire police officers attended an address in Alfreton on October 27, 2021, following a planned operation involving the supply of class A drugs.

After failed attempts to gain entry using keys and an enforcer, police officers gained access through an open door at the rear of the property, where they entered a confrontation with 23-year-old Chad Allford. A prevention of future deaths report issued by Susan Evans, area coroner for Derby and Derbyshire, detailed how Mr Allford, from South Normanton, placed a package of cocaine into his mouth shortly after police gained entry.

This prompted officers to use various tactics to remove the package while trying to prevent injury or harm to Mr Allford. The incident was changed from an arrest to a medical emergency shortly afterwards as it was suspected Mr Allford had ingested a class A drug.

Mr Allford was assisted out of the property towards the driveway of the property, where his health quickly declined. He started to convulse and was experiencing breathing difficulties before being taken to King's Mill Hospital, where he later died at 6.21pm on the same day.

Outlining her concerns following a three-year investigation, Ms Evans said: "During the course of the investigation, my inquiries revealed matters giving rise to concern. In my opinion, there is a risk that future deaths could occur unless action is taken.

"The evidence in this inquest focused, in part, on police officers’ response to concealment of drugs in the mouth. The officers were part of a team acting on intelligence to make a drug offence arrest.

"None of the officers concerned had received prior training in this regard. They employed various methods to try and control Mr Allford, and although each instructed Mr Allford to spit the drugs out, none of them warned him of the risks to his life of not doing so. It was not clear that officers understood the importance of communicating the dangers.

"Attempts were made by officers to open his mouth and sweep the drugs out of the mouth with their hands. A number of officers gave evidence that they were not aware of some of the risks inherent in placing their hands in someone’s mouth, including the risk of packages entering the airway and therefore, choking, and they were not aware of the relevant passages in the NPCC Personal Safety Manual or importantly, the principles relating to this contained within. This was not only the position in 2021 but remained the position at the time of the inquest."

Ms Evans added that she was concerned at the lack of standard provision for guidance or training for police officers in units tasked to make arrests for drug offences, to equip them to make informed decisions when faced with a situation such as this. She added that, in the Personal Safety Manual, it is named as a "common tactic" used by some subjects during an arrest to conceal controlled drugs in their mouths.

Ms Evans added: "In my opinion, action should be taken to prevent future deaths and I believe you (Derbyshire police) have the power to take such action."

Last month, an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct found that Derbyshire police did not contribute to the death of Mr Allford. But the force says it will "carefully consider" the outcome of the Prevention of Future Deaths report, adding that it would make any necessary changes and improvements.

A spokesperson for Derbyshire police said: "Our thoughts remain with all those affected by Mr Allford’s death – in particular his family and friends. It is understandable that, following a death where there has been police contact, there is an open, thorough, and robust review of the incident and the roles officers played.

"The model of policing by consent in Britain relies on force’s being accountable in processes such as this – and we welcome the full context of the incident now being understood. As part of the transparency and accountability, following Mr Allford’s death, the force referred the incident to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, as is mandatory in situations such as this.

"Their investigation found that officers had used reasonable force to restrain Mr Allford and to try and prevent him from swallowing drugs that he had placed in his mouth. While the IOPC did find performance issues in relation to the activation of body-worn video cameras, as well as the stop and search of another individual unrelated to the drugs investigation, none of these points impacted the circumstances that led to Mr Allford’s death.

"The officers who were found to have breached policies and procedures were dealt with by way of reflective practice. We will now take the time to carefully consider the outcome of the inquest, along with the Prevention of Future Deaths report when it is received, and make any necessary changes or improvements."