KEY POINTS:
Nurses will soon be used to look after drunks who have been put in police cells to sober up.
The move comes after Coroner Garry Evans and police voiced concerns after two heavily intoxicated men, taken into police custody, died within days of each other.
The Health Ministry said in a joint programme with police, drug and alcohol nurses would be placed in police stations from next month, the Dominion Post reported today.
Health Ministry mental health system development manager Robyn Shearer said nurses could help reduce the risk of harm to both detainees and officers and could refer detainees to treatment providers.
The two intoxicated men who died in Wellington were placed in police cells after being picked up off the streets in 2005.
Francis James Hurd, aged 68, was found lying on a footpath in Upper Hutt around 10pm on November 5 2005.
He had what police said appeared to be a very small wound to the back of his head.
Police recognised Mr Hurd and knowing he was a heavy drinker and lived alone they decided to take him to the station to `detox'.
A watchhouse constable checked on Mr Hurd throughout the night and at 5am noticed he was covered in faeces. Police practice was to wait for the person to wake up before allowing them to shower.
By 11am Mr Hurd had not woken and a doctor was called.
Mr Hurd was taken to Hutt Hospital where scans showed his head injuries were worse than they had appeared.
He was transferred to Wellington Hospital where he died three days later.
The coroner said the way the police managed and assessed Mr Hurd was "unacceptable," Mr Evans said.
Mr Evans said Mr Hurd should not have been taken into custody and only ended up in a cell because there was nowhere else (apart from hospital) that he could go.
"There was no one who could look after him at home and the temporary shelters and detoxification centres that should have been available have never been established."
The morning after Mr Hurd's death an intoxicated Henry Reubin Grace, 43, was arrested in Wellington's Cuba Mall after police received complaints of his behaviour.
He was epileptic but often neglected to take anti-convulsant medicine.
At 2.45pm an officer looked into his cell and saw Mr Grace collapsed on the floor with his head on the bed.
An autopsy showed he had died of a "seizure disorder" possibly brought on through alcohol withdrawal.
Mr Evans said Mr Grace "should have had the opportunity of examination by the police duty doctor" which would have offered the "possibility of a better outcome".
After receiving the court's findings in March this year, Inspector Tom Ireland wrote a submission, highlighting issues with the way intoxicated people are processed.
He said the Alcohol and Drug Addiction Act 1966 had anticipated the establishment of "detoxification centres".
This never happened and "consequently, police cells by default are used for this purpose."
Mr Ireland said police believed `sobering up centres' were needed to ensure people received proper medical assessment, supervision, counselling and education.
Mr Evans said submissions from police had shown the difficulties and risks of holding intoxicated people in custody were well known and police had been "endeavouring to engage government agencies", in particular the Ministry of Health, to improve the situation without success.
Police said they could modify watchhouse charge sheets and update instructions to officers but "the underlying issue is that police officers are required to make decisions about both the medical and psychological state of a prisoner".
In the absence of detox centres, Mr Ireland said there was a pilot scheme beginning later this year in which mental health/alcoholism and drug addiction nurses would be placed in the Manukau and Christchurch watchhouses.
- NZPA
