15th August 2017

Today marks one year since the death of Dalian Atkinson following contact with West Mercia police.

The family of Dalian Atkinson said:

“A year has gone by and we’re still reeling from our loss.  Dalian was our baby brother. 
Our determination to get to the facts and to see that appropriate action is taken will not be weakened by the passing of time.  We’re buckled in for the long haul.”

Deborah Coles, INQUEST Director said:

“As the Atkinson family mark the first anniversary of his tragic death INQUEST are deeply concerned about the disturbing number of recent deaths across the country following the use of force by police officers. There is a legitimate lack of trust and confidence in the systems for holding police to account for potential criminality and wrong doing. That some of the behaviours and responses to these recent deaths are so familiar to those seen in previous contentious deaths suggests a deeply concerning lack of learning, change and accountability. The much delayed Angiolini review must be published as a matter of urgency in the hope that it will address the repeated patterns of failure.”
 

INQUEST has been working with the family of Dalian Atkinson since his death. The family is represented by INQUEST Lawyers Group members Helen Stone and Kate Maynard of Hickman and Rose Solicitors.

ENDS

 

NOTES TO EDITORS:

Neither the family or their solicitors, Hickman and Rose, will be making any further comment at this time. You are welcome to email INQUEST and we will take note of those interested.

We are aware of 27 deaths following police contact since August 2016, please contact [email protected] for further information. Updates on investigations into these deaths from the IPCC can be found here.

INQUEST provides specialist advice on deaths in custody or detention or involving state failures in England and Wales. This includes a death in prison, in police custody or following police contact, in immigration detention or psychiatric care. INQUEST's policy and parliamentary work is informed by its casework and we work to ensure that the collective experiences of bereaved people underpin that work. Its overall aim is to secure an investigative process that treats bereaved families with dignity and respect; ensures accountability and disseminates the lessons learned from the investigation process in order to prevent further deaths.

Please refer to INQUEST the organisation IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS to distinguish it from the legal hearing.