The Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) has released a paper that examines shooting deaths that occurred in police custody between 2006–07 and 2016–17.
This study used data from the AIC’s National Deaths in Custody Program (NDICP).
Thirty percent of deaths in police custody between 1 July 2006 and 30 June 2017 were shooting deaths. Of these, 57 percent were police shootings and 43 percent were self-inflicted.
The majority of shooting deaths involved non-Indigenous men.
Most decedents were in the process of being detained for a violent offence, were in possession of a weapon and had a history of mental illness.
In response to shooting deaths, coroners have recommended improvements to police policy, training and procedures related to detainee mental illness.
