IPID investigating cause of death, whether the detainee received adequate medical treatment and if the necessary Covid-19 regulations were adhered to.
THE INDEPENDENT Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) is probing the circumstances surrounding the death of a suspect who was arrested and detained at the Galeshewe police station holding cells on the weekend.
It is believed that the man was arrested on August 12 on a domestic violence charge and was detained along with other suspects in the same cell.
He reportedly complained of a headache and requested to be taken to hospital for medical assistance, whereupon he was apparently given two Panado tablets.
The man’s fellow cellmates tried to wake him up on Monday, August 16, but found him to be unresponsive.
Staff members meanwhile fear that the deceased might have contracted Covid-19 and claim that no contact testing was done and that the police station has not been decontaminated.
“We do not know the cause of death and are worried that we may be exposed to the coronavirus,” a staff member said.
IPID acting spokesperson Grace Langa said on Tuesday that they were investigating the cause of death, whether the detainee had received adequate medical treatment and if the necessary Covid-19 regulations were adhered to.
She said that the deceased was 36 years old.
Langa noted that the police were supposed to conduct cell patrols as part of police procedures.
