Police handling of drunks questioned

Press, 14 August 1976, Page 2

Police handling of drunks questioned

PA Auckland The police should reexamine their procedures for dealing with drunk persons i ,ii the cells, the Auckland Coroner (Mr H. M. Israel)i; said yesterdav He found that Mate Kingi Dav is. aged 65. died of head ’ : in juries, caused by a blow of unknown, origin, in the i cells of the Auckland Central Police Station, after . being taken* there about 9 I p.m. on June 10. “In view of the amount of l ’ public interest in this case. I feel beholden to state that ■ the injuries from which Mr I ! Davis died were not sustained < Iwhile he was in police I custody.” the Coroner said ( The Coroner said that the f .degree of Mr Davis’s injuries t ■'was overlooked by the arresting police, and he would call ' on the Police Commissioner t to review the procedure used r j by ihe police when taking t drunk persons to the watchhouse. There were many disturb- I ing questions arising from t ’this case. One was why a < publican would allow a!

I patron to drink himself into such an advanced state of intoxication that his blood level stood at 268 mg. the Coroner said Another was why the ’police should arrest a man in a semi-comatose state when there were two friends near by offering to take him home The Coroner concluded that the police had no intention of taking the man to Auckland Hospital. Witnesses had said that the police had (told them that this was ’where thev were taking him George Timu. of Ponsonby. said that he had known Mr Davis for three years He called him “Uncle Mali.” On June 10 he walked down College Hill Road about 9 p.m., because he noticed that something was going on Mr Timu told the Court “Mad was breathing hard and heavy to me. He was not conscious. He was not talking. He looked sick.” Mr Timu said that he told a policeman to get an ambulance. The policeman talked on the radio-telephone but did not answer him “I asked the policeman to

i let me take him home. h r lived just two doors up fror me. “He did not reply A poli< van arrived I 'aid Where , the ambulance you promised “He still did not answe me "This time 1 was real! 1 wild. 1 said. ’Where are v, . taking him?" "The first policeman said I am taking him to Auck land Hospital’.” Mr Timu and a friend thei helped put Mr Davis inti the van. "At no time did the polu tell me that Uncle Matt ha been arrested. If I hai known he had been arrested I would have gone to th’ pub and got the boys t< help, “I was not looking ft trouble, but Uncle Mali wa sick and I believed he vva going to hospital.” A police witness. Con stable G. Bonniface. had pit viously said that he hat asked the prisoner if he wa all right. He received a niumblet (reply. consistent witf drunken behaviour.